The Norwich to London train line has re-opened after a fire at a recycling centre near Ipswich brought major disruption to passengers throughout the day.
The blaze damaged overhead cables and prevented trains travelling between Stowmarket and Ipswich at about 5.15am.
Network Rail engineers repaired the damage, allowing National Express East Anglia to re-open the line by 4.30pm.
Delays are likely to continue through the rush hour period, with two services cancelled because insufficient trains were on the London side of the blockage. The cancelled services were the 5pm and 5.50pm trains from London to Norwich.
Because overhead cables had melted, the train operator had to put on replacement buses to get people from Stowmarket to Ipswich to catch connecting trains to London.
But a lack of buses, with many of them tied up on the school run, meant passengers were advised to get to the capital via Cambridge, with First Capital Connect and London Underground accepting National Express East Anglia tickets.
A spokesman for National Express East Anglia said: 'I would apologise to everyone whose journeys have been disrupted. Anyone who has been delayed by more than 30 minutes will be able to claim compensation under our passengers' charter.'
The problems were caused by fire by the side of the track at a recycling centre at Great Blakenham, near Claydon in Suffolk.
Police were notified of the fire, at Bolton Brothers recycling and waste management depot, at 5.15am, and 20 firefighters were sent to tackle the blaze. The disruption led to service cancellations and delays of up to 60 minutes.
The problems come in the final week of National Express East Anglia operating the Greater Anglia franchise. From Sunday, services will be operated by Dutch company Abellio.
To find out whether this will impact your journey and to get alternative options, visit the National Rail Enquiries real-time Journey Planner, or call TrainTracker on 0871 200 49 50.
• Are you a passenger from Norwich who has been caught up in the disruption? Call reporter Dan Grimmer on 01603 772375 or email dan.grimmer@archant.co.uk
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