A fault with the signalling system near Stevenage means trains have to run at reduced speed on some lines. As a result of this, trains between Peterborough / Cambridge and London Kings Cross may be delayed by up to 10 minutes.
This is expected until 21:00.
Customer advice:
Great Northern and Thameslink
Great Northern and Thameslink services between Cambridge / London Kings Cross and Cambridge / Brighton, will be delayed by up to 10 minutes.
You can continue to travel using your normal route, but please be aware that your journey will be extended by up to 10 minutes.
In some cases, trains may need to call at fewer stops to ensure they are not late on their return journey.
Late-running trains may be revised. This means they may not stop at all of the usual stations, or they may terminate part of the way along their usual routes.
As a result, you may need to change trains to get to your destination.
This may mean your journey takes longer, however, it does allow Great Northern and Thameslink to get their trains and crews back to the right places for the rest of the day's timetable.
They will be keeping departure boards and station announcements up to date, so please keep an eye on the latest information when you're travelling.
Planning your journey:
You can check train departures from your station here:
- Thameslink live departure boards
- Great Northern live departure boards
You can view live maps of the network here:
- Great Northern live route map
Can you tell me more about the incident?
Trains are likely to have some delays due to a fault with a signal in this area. In this case, the signal is unable to show the normal coloured light indications to drivers, and instead, it's showing a red light. This means drivers have to stop at the signal and gain verbal instructions to continue. Your journey will unfortunately take longer as a result.
Railway signals are designed to warn drivers that they have to stop because the system can't yet confirm that the route ahead is clear. In most places, the signalling system will show a green light, or aspect, when the track is clear for a long distance ahead, and drivers will then be shown one or two yellow lights to warn them when they are approaching a red signal. This means that they can anticipate the amount of braking that's required to stop before they reach another train or any form of problem on the line.
Signalling runs on "fail safe" principles, so if the signals can't step through the usual colours, they will instead show a more restrictive colour - for example, red instead of green. This means drivers will have to stop, but in fact, the route ahead may still be clear. This leads to delays.
The signalling system is maintained by Network Rail, and staff are working closely with them to diagnose the fault and make sure it is fixed as quickly as possible. Until this is done, Great Northern and Thameslink will be closely monitoring the train service and doing their best to keep to the timetable.
Check before you travel:
You can check your journey using the National Rail Enquiries real-time Journey Planner.
Compensation:
You may be entitled to compensation if you experience a delay in completing your journey today. Please keep your train ticket and make a note of your journey, as both will be required to support any claim.