Train services between London Liverpool Street and Ipswich will terminate at Colchester, Greater Anglia has announced.
It follows a day of misery for commuters after over-running Network Rail work led to a series of cancellations to early-morning services. The early termination of services this evening will last until midnight.
A signalling equipment fault between Ipswich and Manningtree and a broken down train between Colchester and Manningtree added to this morning’s train problems.
According to Greater Anglia, there were delays of up to 60 minutes.
The incident came just hours after Network Rail bosses said they were confident the work would be completed on time and trains would be running as normal between London and the region following the two-day track closure at Ipswich.
It is the 10th time in six years the company has been unable to complete work on schedule on the Great Eastern Main Line.
Among those delayed this morning was Liam Smith, 28, who was delayed travelling to work in Diss from Ipswich.
He said: “It’s a bit of a joke – they have had all weekend to work on it. For the second time in two weeks it has over-run.”
Kevin Clarke, 32, who was travelling from Ipswich to Bury for work, added: “It is a 30-minute train but it is going to take about an hour now and I’ll be late for work.
“I pay quite a lot of money for the service so it is annoying to say the least.”
Meanwhile Vicky Kaur, 27, was attempting to travel to Braintree.
She added: “It is just frustrating because of the amount of money you pay each month. It’s not just once in a while.
“You kind of get used to it but it is very frustrating.”
Richard Adams, 31, was hoping to travel to Manningtree but was also delayed because of the problems.
“I was meant to be there at 6am,” he said.
“It is quite frustrating because I don’t drive at the moment so it is my only way to get to work.”
Speaking after the last set of delays, a Network Rail spokeswoman said: “We are acutely aware of the frustration and inconvenience passengers experience when our work causes disruption rather than delivering better journeys.
“We work hard to ensure our plans are robust and that work can be completed within the time we have available, and we successfully carry out improvements across the region almost every night of the year without encountering problems.”
Commuters wanting to travel from Norwich to London are being advised to travel from Norwich via Ely and Cambridge to Liverpool Street or King’s Cross.
People travelling from Elmswell, Thurston and Bury St Edmunds for London are advised to travel via Cambridge.
There will also be a very limited bus service operating between Stowmarket and Ipswich.
The Ipswich to Felixstowe branch will also be suspended until at least 8am. Customers should use help point phones to arrange alternative travel.
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