Norwich to London trains cancelled: Gummer calls for resignations

Passengers waited for "very limited" replacement bus services between Ipswich and Stowmarket

The Ipswich MP Ben Gummer has called for resignations after rush-hour trains were cancelled due to weekend engineering work overrunning again.

Services between Norwich and London were hit by "severe disruption" as the line was closed through Ipswich.

Mr Gummer said "heads should roll" at Network Rail following similar problems in May.

Network Rail said it would be "completely rethinking" how it carried out its track replacement works.

Abellio Greater Anglia cancelled services through Ipswich across the morning, but said the line reopened at 10:53 BST.

Passengers were greeted by cancelled notices at Ipswich railway station

Network Rail said engineering work had not been completed and there had been a signalling failure between Ipswich and Manningtree.

'Appalling' management

Mr Gummer, who is Conservative MP for Ipswich, said he was already due to meet the chief executive of Network Rail in the next couple of weeks.

"Other people in the country would not expect it travelling into London, but Network Rail feel they can still treat East Anglian commuters with a lower standard of service," he said.

"The only recourse we've got now is to ask for resignations, because of the appalling way this has been managed.

"I want to hear how it is going to stop and why engineering works have overrun yet again."

Therese Coffey, Suffolk Coastal MP, tweeted to describe the disruption as "very poor".

Abellio described it as "severe disruption" and said a "very limited" replacement bus service had been made available between Stowmarket and Ipswich.

Nicky Hughes, spokeswoman for Network Rail South East, said: "We had planned eight hours of contingency [with the engineering work], but the severity of the problems with the track meant we overran.

"There aren't enough buses to replace the trains.

"We are having to completely re-think how we replace tracks and testing around Ipswich."

Abellio said trains were also affected between Ipswich and Felixstowe and Ipswich and Woodbridge, although the East Suffolk Line was running between Woodbridge and Lowestoft.