A shed fire in Ipswich spread to a railway embankment on Tuesday afternoon, forcing Greater Anglia to cancel trains between Ipswich and Felixstowe. Firefighters from both Ipswich Princes Street and Ipswich East stations were called to Felixstowe Road at 12:41pm on 14 July, where two sheds were alight near the track.
Crews used two hose reel jets and a larger covering hose reel to bring the fire under control, with a stop notice issued at 2:28pm. Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service assigned incident reference 016540 to the call and later confirmed it was closed. Greater Anglia cancelled the 1:58pm Ipswich to Felixstowe service and subsequent trains after flames reached the embankment close to Derby Road station. “Greater Anglia and Network Rail are sorry if your journey has been affected by this disruption,” the operators said in a joint statement. Greater Anglia added that tickets would be accepted on First Bus routes 75 and 77 between the two towns.
The fire flared where the Felixstowe Branch Line runs alongside residential gardens and outbuildings in south‑east Ipswich. The 12‑mile route, which opened in 1877, carries both passenger services and significant freight to and from the port. Tuesday’s incident was one of several the fire service handled that day, including field fires at Hawstead and Clare. Meanwhile, separate trackside fires in Essex also disrupted trains to and from London Liverpool Street, including some Ipswich services.
Network Rail owns the infrastructure along the corridor, and a similar pattern of fire‑related rail disruption has emerged across the region in recent months. Although normal service resumed quickly, the two‑train cancellation left some commuters seeking alternative road transport for a late‑afternoon journey.
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