EMBARRASSED rail bosses apologised today after a nightmare journey saw passengers lost on a wooded track in an ageing double-decker bus.The bus was supposed to ferry travellers from Peterborough to Ely where they would pick up a connecting service to Ipswich.

EMBARRASSED rail bosses apologised today after a nightmare journey saw passengers lost on a wooded track in an ageing double-decker bus.

The bus was supposed to ferry travellers from Peterborough to Ely where they would pick up a connecting service to Ipswich.

But the befuddled bus driver took a wrong turn in the Suffolk countryside and ended up having to make a three-point turn on a woodland track while a passenger directed him.

Then, to add insult to injury, the train had left Ely station and passengers were provided with a taxi to Stowmarket where they were faced with another 45-minute wait for the Ipswich train.

An embarrassed Anglia Railways spokesman promised to launch a full inquiry, apologised to passengers and accepted a taxi service all the way to Ipswich should have been provided.

The farcical circumstances provided all the ingredients of an Ely comedy, but travellers were less than amused at spending five hours travelling the 90 miles between Ipswich and Peterborough.

Paula Russell, of Brunswick Road, has vowed to steer clear of Sunday train travel after her £55 trip from Sheffield went badly wrong.

She said: "It was a disaster, there were mistakes all along the way.

"It was traumatic. It's such a shame when you want to do your bit for cutting congestion, but you just end up feeling drained and frustrated."

Karl Myers, of Star Lane, paid £57 for his ticket to and from Wakefield, but spent nearly three hours just waiting for a bus in Peterborough.

His bus driver managed to find Ely station, but also arrived too late for the connecting train.

He said: "We were left waiting around in Peterborough in the freezing cold. It's the worst journey I've ever been on.

"There was just so much confusion. We were having to fight just to get on a bus.

"There weren't enough coaches for the amount of people. At one point there were about 150 people trying to crowd onto one bus.

"Unfortunately for me, travelling on Sundays is sometimes a necessity."

The Anglia Railways spokesman said: "We need to ask questions about the coach company we used at the weekend.

"Given the extent of the delay, I am surprised we didn't push the taxis all the way through to Ipswich. There may have been a reason, but we need to establish what it was.

"We would encourage passengers to write in with details of their journey so we can see what levels of compensation they may be entitled to."

n Passengers on the nightmare journey should email customer.relations@angliarailways.co.uk or write to Customer Relations, Anglia Railways, Ipswich Station, Burrell Road, Ipswich IP2 8AL.