Smoke from the fire filled the carriages

They were on the 0715 GMT One Railway service from Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street when a tree hit power lines as the train approached.

The tree caught fire and smoke filled the train, according to reports.

A One Railway spokesman said all services from Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street had been suspended until further notice.

"There were sparks coming down the side of the train and we sat there waiting and smoke started filling the carriages and the driver decided to evacuate the train," said a passenger.

"I think we're going to be walking up to Billericay heading up the track.

"We've all got that great British spirit - we're all just carrying on," he added.

Broken down

Mainline services between have also been suspended between Colchester and London due to overhead line problems near Ingatestone.

Replacement transport was not available on these routes which includes services from Liverpool Street to Ipswich and Norwich.

Train services on One West Anglia are severely disrupted due to an earlier evacuation of the signal centre at Liverpool Street and a broken-down train at Silver Street.

One says there is no estimate as to when services might return to normal.