“In the morning, after Colchester, we usually settle down nicely for the journey ahead as there are no more scheduled stops until Liverpool Street,” said Anita Curtis, after finally arriving in work half an hour late this morning.

“However, today, just outside Colchester, after much juddering and stuttering the train stopped and went completely dead. After a while there is a little bit of life, but then it died again.

“We were informed that the driver was looking at the engine. He managed, after a while, to get it started again but we were told only as far as Marks Tey which is a tiny station and not the best placed to be de-trained.

“Hundreds of people then had to cross over one staircase to the other platform. I was lucky a train came straight in and I managed to get a seat.

“We eventually arrived 32 minutes late in to Liverpool Street.”

But the seasoned commuter added: “In their defence, Greater Anglia did act quite quickly in sorting the situation out.”