Rail commuters living in Bury St Edmunds, Thurston and Elmswell who travel daily to Liverpool Street station have been told that they cannot use their tickets to travel via Cambridge while the Ipswich Tunnel is closed for engineering works from mid July.

A resident of Bury St Edmunds who has commuted to London for twenty years on Anglia Railways alerted David Ruffley to the inflexible attitude of the Greater Anglia Rail Franchise which goes by the name of 'ONE' to indicate that there is now only one operator for London's Liverpool Street station.

Despite the fact that the ticket price is no more expensive to travel via Cambridge and to do so while the tunnel is closed would be quicker, commuters have been told by ONE that their tickets will not be valid on this route.

David has written to Tim Clarke, Managing Director of the Greater Anglia Rail Franchise, part of the National Express Group. The text of his letter appears below.

David said: 'I find it extraordinary that a company which boasts a better service on the basis that they are the only train operating company on the routes into Liverpool Street should be so inflexible in their thinking that they cannot allow my constituents in Bury St Edmunds, Thurston and Elmswell to use their tickets to travel via Cambridge. To inflict an even longer journey time on them while the Ipswich Tunnel is closed shows a complete lack of customer care and beggars belief. If they are sensitive to their customers' needs they will reverse this decision immediately. Otherwise the claim on their website that they are 'committed to delivering improved service quality standards, focusing on essential passenger needs' will prove to be completely bogus.' Let's have joined up thinking from Greater Anglia Rail Franchise.'

To: Mr Tim Clarke, Managing Director, Greater Anglia Rail Franchise:

I enclose a letter I have received from a constituent regarding what she perceives to be a lack of forward planning with regard to arrangements for commuters while the Ipswich tunnel is closed. She writes on behalf of many other commuters living in this area of my constituency.

For this group of passengers to be told that their tickets will not be valid for travel via Cambridge does seem to display a lack of joined up thinking, particularly now your company operates all the services into Liverpool Street from East Anglia.

Your website informs me that you are 'committed to delivering improved service quality standards, focusing on essential passenger needs'. These passengers need to travel to work with the least possible inconvenience while the Ipswich tunnel is closed. To add such a long time to their journey because you will not authorise the use of their tickets on an alternative route is hardly focusing on their needs.