A BUS replacement service is currently in operation on a section of the East Anglian mainline because of overhead wire problems.

MORE than 100 passengers were stranded on a train today when damaged overhead powerlines caused a power failure.

About 140 passengers were thought to have been stranded on the London to Norwich train a few minutes after it left Colchester station at 6.24pm.

The train came to a halt at the level crossing at Ardleigh where passengers waited for more than hour to be rescued.

Commuters had to use ladders to evacuate the train before being transferred to buses to be ferried to Ipswich station where they were able to continue their journeys.

The power failure led to the cancellation of a number of services and the operation of a bus replacement service between Colchester and Ipswich due to the problem.

National Express East Anglia advised passengers to look at its website for up to date information.

For more information visit www.nationalexpresseastanglia.com.

A spokesman for train operator National Express East Anglia said: “Advice to passengers at the moment is that we will update the website when we have more information and we are putting on replacement buses at the moment between Colchester and Ipswich.

“Obviously we will await more information from Network Rail in terms of how long the problem might last for and what extent it may have on services for the rest of the day and tomorrow.”