A TRAIN travelling from Lowestoft to Ipswich had to be evacuated after a fire broke out in the engine.

Three fire appliances from Halesworth, Leiston and Bungay, and a support vehicle, were sent to tackle the blaze after the train stopped at Halesworth Station shortly after 10.20am yesterday(Tuesday).

A fire-suppression system had already been activated after smoke began pouring from the train's engine compartment.

The 35 passengers on board the three-carriage train were transferred to a replacement bus service to complete their journey. However, the incident caused knock-on effects for most of the morning.

A spokesman for Suffolk fire service said the flames had been quickly dealt with by the crews, but they remained at the scene to ensure there were no further signs of fire. They eventually left the scene at 10.53am.

Services on the East Suffolk line were disrupted while the incident was investigated and engineers took the train out of service.

A spokesman for National Express East Anglia apologised for the inconvenience to rail users. He said: 'The 9.08am Lowestoft to Ipswich service was terminated at Halesworth Station this morning following a report of smoke coming from an engine on the train.

'The fire brigade attended as a precaution and the train has been taken out of service. Passengers continued their journeys on a replacement bus.'