TRAIN passengers are being advised not to travel between Clacton and Colchester after a landslip caused major disruptions to services.

There are currently no trains running between Clacton and Colchester due to the landslip, which is between Alresford and Great Bentley.

The disruption is expected until the end of the day on Sunday.

A spokesman said: "Owing to a landslip between Alresford and Great Bentley there are currently no trains running between Thorpe and Colchester.

"Network Rail engineers have assessed the affected area and have deemed it unsafe for trains to run.

"Until works have been completed and engineers are satisfied with the works and deemed it safe, train services will be suspended.

"A rail shuttle service will be in operation between Walton-on-the-Naze and Thorpe-Le-Soken and between Clacton on Sea and Thorpe Le Soken."

A bus service will operate between Colchester and Thorpe calling at all stations except Colchester Town alternative rail services are running between Colchester and Colchester Town.

The location of the designated bus stop at your station can be found here by entering your station name.

The spokesman added: "Greater Anglia tickets will be accepted on local buses 74 and 76A.

"Greater Anglia and Network Rail are sorry if your journey has been affected by this disruption."

Specific train service alterations are available here.

John Smock, from Tendring rail users group Ontrack, said: "It has been pretty bad - there were no busses before 9am as we suspect most busses here were committed to school runs.

"A lot of people who turned up to get a train tried to get a refund and organise a lift.

"It's at times like this when families and the community kick in to help each other and I know of people in Frinton who shared car journeys to Chelmsford.

"We suspect there will be no trains all day and this could roll on until tomorrow.

"With the wet weather we have had and the sodden ground there could be a real problem sorting it out.

"They will have to get heavy equipment and ballast across a field and make sure the repair is stable.

"You can't run 30 tonnes of carriages over a hole in the ground."

Mr Smock said the landslip would have had an impact on main line services because as many as eight or nine trains could have been stranded at the Clacton depot.

"It's no good to just advise people not to travel - people do have to get to work," he added.

"This is a Network Rail Problem - it is their infrastructure. It is state-owned and funded. Our MP Giles Watling has already called for improvements on the railway line to Clacton - and of course Frinton and Walton.

"We need the sort of service Ipswich and Norwich get, especially if we are going to build more homes here."

A landslide on the railway is when soil, rocks and earth fall onto and either wholly or partially obscure the track.

When they impact on railways, roads and other infrastructure, they can cause a lot of disruption.They commonly occur when the ground becomes saturated with water after long periods of heavy rain. 

Network Rail said: "When landslips happen, unfortunately so do delays. A train can’t swerve to avoid debris on the line in the same way a car can avoid a small obstruction on the road, so when there‘s debris on the tracks after a landslip, we will often need to re-route services.

"Before trains can run on the line again after a landslip, we’ll remove any debris and check that the infrastructure is safe and working.

"There are ongoing concerns, even after an initial landslip. Once a landslip has started to move, the slope is permanently weakened. It means it’s much more likely that there will be further landslips.

"Some of the slopes on either side of our tracks need to be strengthened by improving drainage or adding stronger materials to the slope itself, such as steel rods or soil nails. This work to stabilise the earth can take time."

Network Rail identify sites prone to landslides to ensure people's safety. They use helicopters equipped with laser imaging, detection and ranging to do this.

They added: "Where we know that sites are at risk of landslip, we use motion sensors and CCTV to detect soil and rock movement. These sensors send an alarm to the signaller, who will stop the train if alerted and wait until the area has been inspected by engineers.

"We can also stabilise the slope by putting in drainage or using steel rods or soil nails. If these options are not sufficient, we will then re-profile the slope to reduce its angle, making it less prone to a landslip.

"When we get flood warnings from the Environment Agency and Flood Forecasting Centre, we send people and equipment to the at-risk areas so we’re in a position to act quickly."