The theft of a signalling cable near a major railway junction has led to serious disruptions for travellers.
The theft, which took place in the Shenfield area, has led to a “loss of signalling” blocking lines.
Passengers have been advised against travelling between Shenfield, in Essex, and London Liverpool Street until later on Sunday by Greater Anglia.
Shenfield is a major junction for many routes, including trains on the Great Eastern Main Line.
Services are disrupted between the London station and Norwich, Ipswich, Clacton-on-Sea and Southend-on-Sea.
The incident is being investigated by British Transport Police and Network Rail teams.
Elizabeth line trains between Stratford and Shenfield has also been affected.
The signalling issues have led to a restricted service to Shenfield from Colchester and Southend.
Any passengers whose journeys have been delayed by over 15 minutes. will be able to claim compensation.
In addition, Sunday tickets can now be used on Monday instead.
Greater Anglia posted an update on X on Sunday saying work is underway to rectify the situation.
They said: “Network Rail engineers have made temporary repairs to the signalling system and trains are now able to run between Shenfield and London Liverpool Street”
They added: “However, there will be a limited service running to/from Liverpool Street whilst work is being carried out and the signals are rectified.”
Update👇
— Greater Anglia (@greateranglia) October 19, 2025
Service Impact:
Network Rail engineers have made temporary repairs to the signalling system and trains are now able to run between Shenfield and London Liverpool Street. However, there will be a limited service running to/from Liverpool Street whilst work is being… https://t.co/EGuSYiGXJs
A spokesperson for Greater Anglia said they are not currently able to confirm when the lines might reopen.
