Travellers from East Anglia should find it easier to reach London by train this Christmas than some years because of limited engineering work.

There will be bus replacements on services between Colchester and Shenfield on December 27 and 28, which are bank holidays, and on Christmas Day and Boxing Day there are no services at all as usual.

But at all other times - until Christmas Eve and from December 29 - there should be normal services. There are also normal services running over the New Year weekend.

Over recent years there have been frequent closures over the entire Christmas and New Year period as Network Rail has used the period when fewer people are travelling by train to carry out engineering work including electrification work and preparing for the Crossrail service.

But this year many passengers should find trips to the capital are much easier.

The four-day closure on the main line through Essex will allow the county council to remove a bridge near Chelmsford as part of a major road improvement in the Boreham area.

Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s route director for Anglia, said: “We’ve got a huge package of work planned this Christmas and New Year that will reduce delays, maintain safety and improve reliability across the rail network and we’ve been able to plan this to keep most of the network open.

"These works are crucial to keep services running safely and reliably. I’d like to thank our passengers and our line side neighbours for their patience while we carry out this important work.”

Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director, said: “We know that this year more than ever our customers will be keen to spend Christmas with their loved ones. We will make sure that everyone can complete their journeys, even if part of it is by rail replacement bus.

“We will make sure we keep customers up to date on our website, app and social media – so I’d like to remind people to check before they travel.”