AN MP has called for train passengers to receive compensation due to the Southend to London line being closed for nine days.

Rayleigh and Wickford MP Mark Francois has demanded Abellio Greater Anglia to pay costs to commuters who cannot use the train throughout this week.

The line from Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street is closed until June 2 due to engineering works on the overhead lines.

Mr Francois, who has clashed previously with Jamie Burles, the managing director for Abellio Greater Anglia over the matter of compensation, has renewed his calls for commuters to be reimbursed for the inconvenience in getting to and from London by bus.

He said: "Abellio ‘Lesser Anglia’ make much of their recently introduced ‘Delay Repay 15’ and that’s all well and good.

"However, if you can be compensated when your train is 15 minutes late, why can you not be compensated when it’s 9 days late?"

More than 100 engineers will be working 24 hours a day to replace the overhead wires and supporting structures which power the Greater Anglia trains, due to them being 60 years old.

The work will prevent overhead wires getting tangled with the train, which causes speed restrictions and delays.

The work will involve the replacement of 27.8km of overhead wire, the removal of 33 redundant structures and bringing two electrified train crossovers into service.

Despite the level of work needed, Mr Francois is still critical of Greater Anglia for compensating passengers on delay repay but not a week of no trains at all.

He added: "We all know how famously tight ‘Lesser Anglia’ are – to the point where they are even restricting their catering offer for massively overpriced first class passengers – but it is now time they did something for my commuters as well.

"I challenge Jamie Burles to come onto the media and debate with me why he’s not prepared to pay compensation to my constituents for having to use a glorified bus service for nearly two weeks."