The Official Town Supporters Club has hit out at rail company Abellio Greater Anglia for letting fans down with London-based supporters planning to travel home by train from Tuesday’s Capital One Cup tie against Stevenage facing a revised and more limited service due to engineering works.
As a result of the works, one line will be closed between Colchester and Chelmsford after 20:30. The only options back to London involve changes at Colchester on to buses and then back on to trains at Shenfield. Full details here.
The same service alterations will be in place the following Tuesday when Town face Burnley at home in the Championship. Full details here.
The situation, which will also affect travelling Stevenage fans, is complicated further by Abellio Greater Anglia's own ticketing website is still allowing the purchase of tickets for the regular 22:08 train which isn’t running.
The Supporters Club has been involved in a lengthy Twitter correspondence with Abellio and they have confirmed that their ticketing site is incorrect - although they are still to amend it - and that tickets for the 22:08 will be valid for other services.
The options for fans are as follows: Leave Ipswich at 21:43 (missing the last few minutes of the game plus extra-time if it is required), arriving in London 23:33.
Leave Ipswich at 22:43 (a rush if the game goes to penalties), arriving in London at 00:38, too late for tube connections.
Supporters Club chair Liz Edwards said: "This means that - effectively - there is no way for fans to get home via London after the game. This will doubtless impact on the crowd.
"Also, many fans will have bought tickets for the 22:08 train in the expectation that they will be able to connect on to the tube for Greater London and beyond, including to Stevenage. Once again our rail service has let us down.”
It’s far from the first time Town fans have been hit by rail problems this year with the Norwich to Liverpool Street line subject to maintenance work for two months earlier in the year, while supporters using other lines also faced disruption last season.