Trains delayed amid cable theft

A cable theft has caused trains to stop running between Luton and Bedford.

Travel Insurance News - 26/07/2012

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A cable theft has caused trains to stop running between Luton and Bedford.

Officials from First Capital Connect said early on Thursday that a cable theft has caused a problem with signals on its Thameslink service line and that some trains would be suspended between the two destinations through at least lunchtime.

The operator said that passengers could face delays of up to 90 minutes, last-minute revisions or full cancellations and that it was currently operating replacement bus services for all stations stretching from Luton to Bedford.

Meanwhile, affected travellers’ tickets are temporarily being accepted on First Capital Connect’s service to Moorgate or London Kings Cross.

Speaking on behalf of First Capital Connect, Roger Perkins said the operator wanted to extend its apologies to passengers forced to deal with the “greatly reduced” services. He went on to say that a “deliberate criminal attempt” to thieve cable from the section of the line north of Flitwick had taken place on Wednesday night.

Perkins said that the event had left 23 of 109 total trains used every day trapped in sidings, meaning that no services could be launched out of Bedford. He said that Network Rail was currently addressing the issue but that there was no definite timeframe of when all services would be back online.

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