London travel news LIVE: Major disruption between St Pancras and Luton after person hit by train
Major disruption is affecting trains between St Pancras International and Luton after a person was hit by a train.
The disruption, affecting Thameslink and East Midlands Railway (EMR) services, is expected to last until 7pm on Friday.
Services to and from Gatwick Airport, Nottingham, Sheffield, Brighton, Bedford and Three Bridges are among those affected.
EMR warned journeys may be delayed by 50 minutes, while Thameslink urged people to check before travelling and said journeys could take at least 30 minutes longer than usual.
Friday marks the beginning of a new TfL initiative that has seen peak Tube and London train fares scrapped on Fridays, in a bid to lure commuters back to the city centre.
Help can be reached for free through the Samaritans on 116 123 or at jo@samaritans.org. For more information on finding help, the NHS has a range of services.
Live updates below.
Live coverage ends
21:27 , Jacob Phillips
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Major disruption at London St Pancras expected until 10pm
19:12 , Jacob Phillips
Lines have reopened after a person was hit by a train between London St Pancras International and Luton.
But National Rail has said trains could still be cancelled or delayed up to an hour.
Major disruption is expected until 10pm.
Help can be reached for free through the Samaritans on 116 123 or at jo@samaritans.org. For more information on finding help, the NHS has a range of services.
Trains through East Croydon delayed by 30 minutes
17:44 , Jacob Phillips
A points failure at East Croydon means trains have to run at a reduced speed on all lines.
National Rail warns trains may be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised.
Disruption is expected until 6pm.
Severe delays on the Central Line
16:20 , Jacob Phillips
There are severe delays on the Central Line between Leytonstone and Epping and also between Woodford and Hainault.
Transport for London has said this is due to a signal failure at Woodford.
'Major disruption' between London St Pancras and Luton after person hit by train
15:43 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks
A person has sadly been hit by a train between West Hampstead and Luton this afternoon.
National Rail says there is “major disruption” to trains running through the area.
Services affected are:
East Midlands Railway between London St Pancras International and Nottingham / Sheffield / Derby / Corby
Thameslink between Three Bridges / Brighton / Gatwick Airport / East Grinstead and Bedford
Help can be reached for free through the Samaritans on 116 123 or at jo@samaritans.org. For more information on finding help, the NHS has a range of services.
Severe delays on Underground end
15:19 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks
The earlier severe delays on the Underground are now over, says TfL.
There are minor delays on the Hammersmith and City Line due to train cancellations, but otherwise a good service on all lines.
Severe delays on Hammersmith and City Line
14:49 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks
There are now severe delays on the Hammersmith and City Line due to train cancellations, says TfL.
Victoria line no longer delayed
14:01 , Jordan King
The Victoria line has returned to running a good service.
Severe delays on the Victoria line
13:53 , Jordan King
There are severe delays to the Victoria line while TfL responds to an ill person at Warren Street.
Minor delays to Hammersmith & City line
13:30 , Jordan King
There are currently delays due to train cancellations.
Disruption now over between King's Cross and Peterborough
12:41 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Trains are now running normally between London King’s Cross and Peterborough following earlier delays.
Central Line part-suspended
12:29 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks
There is no Central Line service between Leytonstone, Epping and Hainault via Woodford, says TfL.
This is due to a signal failure at Woodford.
Minor delays on several Tube lines
11:43 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Minor delays are now affecting the Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines.
There is a good service across all other lines.
Hatfield signalling issue fixed but delays continue
11:07 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks
The signalling issue at Hatfield has been fixed, but National Rail warns services between King’s Cross and Peterborough are still delayed by up to 30 minutes.
ℹ️ #Hatfield - Lines have now reopened following a fault with the signalling system at Hatfield. However, whilst service recovers, trains between London Kings Cross and Peterborough may still be delayed by up to 30 minutes or cancelled.
— National Rail (@nationalrailenq) March 8, 2024
Disruption between London Kings Cross and Peterborough expected until midday
10:42 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks
A signalling fault at Hatfield means trains between London Kings Cross and Peterborough may be delayed by up to 30 minutes or cancelled, says National Rail.
Disruption is expected until midday.
Great Northern and Thameslink customers are warned no trains are currently able to travel in the area between Alexandra Palace and Stevenage.
“An extremely reduced service will run via Hertford North, but at this time we advise to delay travelling until later,” says National Rail.
Good service on all Underground lines
10:12 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks
There is now a good service operating on all London Underground lines, as well as the Overground and DLR, says TfL. This includes the Bakerloo Line, which was earlier hit with delays.
How will TfL's new Friday trial affect Tube and train fares?
09:05 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Peak fares currently apply between 6.30am-9.30am and 4pm-7pm on TfL services, which include the Elizabeth line and London Overground, and National Rail services.Under the new Friday fare trial beginning today, peak fares will be scrapped.
This will reduce the cost of a Tube journey from Zone 6 to Zone 1 from £5.60 to £3.60. A journey from Zone 4 to Zone 1 will cost £1.90 rather than £2.80.Meanwhile National Rail fares will also be affected. The price of a journey from Epsom to Waterloo, for example, will fall from £8.80 to £6.10.The daily “cap” on the cost of multiple Oyster and Contactless journeys will also be amended to a lower off-peak rate.
The trial will also benefit the 1.2 million older Londoners who have a 60+ Oyster or Freedom Pass. They will qualify for free travel throughout Fridays under the off-peak trial, for the first time in four years.
At present, the concessions cannot be used between 4.30am and 9am on weekdays.
Students and young people should also benefit from Friday off-peak fares, as their railcards will be valid throughout the day not just at off-peak times.
Single paper tickets and paper Day Travelcards will still have peak-hour restrictions during the trial. Season tickets will not change as there is no off-peak option.
Journeys between Heathrow Airport and Zone 1 will also be unaffected.Bus fares will not change as they are set at a flat rate of £1.75 regardless of the time of travel
The trial is in addition to the mayor’s £123m partial fares freeze, which leaves all pay-as-you-go TfL fares unchanged until March next year.
Read our Transport Editor Ross Lydall’s breakdown of the Friday fare changes here.
Tube status
08:59 , Neil Hunter
Here’s a snapshot of the current London Underground status
TfL's cheaper Friday peak fares begin today
08:40 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks
A trial scrapping peak Tube and train fares on Fridays has begun in London today.
The new TfL initiative is part of a raft of special offers designed to lure commuters back to the city centre.
Peak fares will be axed on Fridays until May 31, under a £24million experiment to reverse the slump in passenger numbers.
Midweek Tube journeys are currently at about 85 per cent of pre-Covid levels, but this falls to 73 per cent on Fridays when many Londoners work from home.
Bakerloo Line delays downgraded
07:47 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks
The Bakerloo Line delays have now been downgraded from ‘severe’ to ‘minor’, says TfL.
Severe delays on Bakerloo Line
07:33 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks
For those using the Bakerloo Line this morning, please be aware severe delays are affecting the large section between Queens Park and Elephant and Castle.
This is due to an earlier faulty train at Lambeth North, says TfL.
There is currently a good service on the rest of the line, and other lines.
Good morning
07:31 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Happy Friday, and welcome back to the Standard’s travel live blog.
We’ll be bringing you all the latest updates throughout today, on issues affecting the Underground, and trains and roads in and around the capital.