COMMUTERS are set to get the post Christmas blues due to major engineering work planned for the railway line into London.

Train users trying to get to the capital from Colchester will have to get off at Witham and go by replacement bus to Stansted airport when work resumes after the festive break.

From there they will have to catch the Stansted Express train to Liverpool Street.

The disruption is being caused as Network Rail is carrying out engineering work on the line.

A raft of changes to the timetable have been announced.

Among them, rail services will finish earlier than usual on Christmas Eve and there will be no services on Christmas Day or Boxing Day.

On Tuesday December 27, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day along with January 2, intercity services will end at Witham and all other services at Ingatestone.

From there, train travellers will have to change on to a rail replacement bus service to Newbury Park to get connections to central line services into London.

Passengers travelling on December 28, 29 and 30 will face even longer journeys as they will have to leave the train at Witham and take the route into London via Stansted airport.

A spokesman for Abellio Greater Anglia, which runs the trains on the line, said: “We understand the significant impact engineering works has on our customers’ journeys and we thank them for their patience and understanding.

“We are working hard to provide practical and comfortable rail replacement alternatives for people wanting to travel during these times.

“Due to the complex nature of the works we would recommend that customers check their itinerary before travelling as arrangements may differ over the course of the works.”

Neil Skinner, who is a member of the Essex and Manningtree rail users’ associations, said he had some sympathy with Network Rail which was trying to make improve the line after decades of underinvestment.

Mr Skinner, who is an IT consultant working in London, said: “I have some sympathy with Network Rail.

“There is no good time for them to do the work and Christmas is probably the best of a bad bunch because the trains are relatively quiet.

“However, I don’t think the Stansted Express will be able to cope. It is already full.

“The extra diversion will add about 45 minutes to an hour in each direction. I think a lot of people will either make alternative arrangements or work from home or just take the days off.

“The problem is the railway is knackered. The overhead wires are so old.

“There have been decades of underinvestment so Network Rail are always playing catch up.”