An urgent investigation has been launched into what caused more than 24 hours of rail chaos for south Essex commuters.
The c2c line was closed between Pitsea and Benfleet after around three miles of overhead cables crashed down onto the track and thousands of passengers were forced to crowd on to emergency buses.
It took more than 24 hours to restore services after the nightmare on Thursday, and today there were still speed restrictions in the affected area.
The chaos was so bad that during Friday's rush hour many commuters switched to Great Eastern rather than risk hours of delays on the Fenchurch Street line.
A spokeswoman for Railtrack, the firm responsible for the infrastructure of the railways said: "We do not know the cause, but the rail investigators AEA Technology will be carrying out an investigation."
It is hoped that services will be back to normal by the beginning of tomorrow's rush hour.
Published Monday August 26, 2002
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