New Greater Anglia trains serving stations in North Essex
The rollout reached new routes this week
Last updated 25th Mar 2021
Rail passengers in North Essex can now travel on Greater Anglia's new electric commuter trains.
The company's rollout reached new routes on Tuesday (23 March), starting with an early morning maiden passenger voyage from Clacton to London.
The ten-carriage train, made up of two new five-carriage trains coupled together, then went on to serve the London Liverpool Street to Ipswich and Colchester to Colchester Town routes.
It was the first time these new trains - built by Alstom, formerly known as Bombardier – operated in passenger service beyond Witham and Braintree, to serve stations in North Essex and Suffolk.
Andrew Goodrum, Greater Anglia business readiness director, who was on board for the first passenger trip, said:
"It’s brilliant to see more of our routes served by brand new trains.
"Obviously at the moment there aren’t as many passengers as usual due to COVID-19, but as we follow the roadmap out of lockdown, we’re sure passengers will appreciate the extra seats, space and mod cons that these trains will give them.
"Since we first introduced our new Alstom trains into passenger service last November, we’ve been delighted with passengers’ responses – they like the comfort of the seats, the plug and USB sockets, the fast free wifi and the smooth quiet ride."
The new trains are longer with more seats, all have two wheelchair user spaces, one accessible toilet per five-carriage train and a dedicated area to secure four full-size bikes.
More than 130 of these trains are being introduced, with Greater Anglia replacing every train on its network with new trains.
They feature regenerative braking which delivers energy back into the electrical supply network, and are the first trains in the UK to be fitted with underfloor heating.
Routes already served exclusively by new trains are Norwich to Lowestoft, Cambridge/Stansted, Sheringham and Great Yarmouth; Ipswich to Felixstowe, Lowestoft, Cambridge and Peterborough; Marks Tey to Sudbury; London to Stansted Airport; and the Intercity route between Norwich and London Liverpool Street, which serves Diss, Stowmarket, Ipswich, Manningtree, Colchester, Chelmsford and Stratford.
New trains are also in passenger service on the Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street route and the Southminster and Braintree branch lines.
Later this year, Greater Anglia’s new Alstom trains will be introduced on the company’s West Anglia routes, including Cambridge and Bishops Stortford to London Liverpool Street.
They will also start operating between Harwich and Manningtree and between Walton-on-the-Naze and Thorpe-le-Soken.
The full introduction of new trains on Greater Anglia’s services is due to be completed in Summer 2022.