Greater Anglia's new commuter trains enter public service, ahead of network-wide roll out

NEW COMMUTER TRAIN AT LIVERPOOL STREET STATION
Passengers on the line to Southend Victoria were the first to experience the new trains Credit: Greater Anglia

Greater Anglia's fleet of new commuter trains for routes into Essex, Suffolk, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire have entered public service.

A pair of the new trains, built in Derby by Bombardier, operated in tandem on Thursday, 26 November, between London and Southend Victoria.

As well as Southend, they'll also operate from London Liverpool Street to places like Colchester, Ipswich, Hertford and Cambridge when the entire 133-strong fleet is in service.

Southend Victoria was the destination for the train's first ever revenue-earning service Credit: Greater Anglia

Ian McConnell, Greater Anglia franchise and programmes director, said: "We are absolutely delighted to have put the first of our brand-new Bombardier trains in passenger service.

"All through the pandemic, our teams have been working hard to carry out safety and performance tests on these trains, in partnership with Bombardier.

"At the same time, we’ve been training our staff and getting stations ready for these new trains.

"We’re confident these new trains will improve our customers’ journeys as they are longer with more seats and all the mod-cons modern passengers expect."

The new trains are the first in the UK to have underfloor heating, and will fully replace the existing commuter fleet.

They will be rolled out on lines to Essex and Suffolk over the next 12 months, and will start operating on lines in Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire from the second half of 2021.