Travellers might not be able to reach Felixstowe by train because of the shortage of diesel units – but that has not stopped Abellio Greater Anglia from advertising the delights of the Suffolk coast.

As train services to the Suffolk resort were suspended for the eighth day running, the company was e-mailing passengers urging them to visit the coast.

The e-mail said: “Late autumn on The Suffolk Coast offers stunning landscapes packed with vibrant colours and wildlife, huge open skies giving you space to breathe and time out to enjoy being with family and friends. Regular train services run to Lowestoft, Felixstowe, Woodbridge and Saxmundham. Check fares and timetables.”

The e-mail irritated former county council transport spokesman and Felixstowe councillor Graham Newman.

He said: “They’re putting this out, but there have been no passenger trains at all on the Felixstowe line for the last nine days and they don’t know when services are going to resume. On Wednesday there were 81 services cancelled in East Anglia. It is much worse here than anywhere else – and then we get this. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

He said the company would have a lot to do to win back the confidence of rail passengers who wanted to use the Felixstowe branch line.

A spokesman for Abellio Greater Anglia said the company was doing all it could to restore full services – but in the meantime had put notices up on its website advising passengers of changes over the next few days.