Rail passengers in East Anglia should find it much easier to reach London and other destinations over the Christmas period with lines staying open for most of the holiday period.

Passengers from Colchester will face some disruption with the town's main railway station undergoing rebuilding work over the holiday period.

And there will be no trains south of Ingatestone over the weekend of December 28/29 as Network Rail completes some work between Liverpool Street and Shenfield.

On January 1 there will be a bus shuttle between Ipswich and Marks Tey and between Hythe station and Marks Tey while work at Colchester station is completed.

On the other days of the holiday period Intercity trains will not stop at Colchester station - but commuter trains from Ipswich and Clacton will be able to stop there. The Intercity trains will pass through on lines away from platforms without stopping.

Branch and cross-country lines in Suffolk will be open as normal throughout the Christmas and New Year period - except on Christmas Day and Boxing Day when the network is completely closed except for a limited Stansted Express service between the Essex airport and Liverpool Street. Services will return to normal on January 2.

Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director said: "We're pleased that most of our services will be running between Christmas and New Year so that people can travel.

"However, because the railway tends to be much quieter over this period, it is also a good opportunity for Network Rail to get on with some really essential upgrade work that will help services operate reliable and punctually in the future.

"If you are travelling with us, please do check before you travel as some journeys make take longer than normal or depart at different times than usual."

Mark Budden, Network Rail's route director for Anglia, said: "For those wishing to travel over the festive period, my advice is to plan ahead and check with Greater Anglia or National Rail Enquiries for the latest travel information."

In recent years there have been total closures of the rail network between London and Ingatestone between Christmas and the New Year as major engineering work was being completed.