Greater Anglia has announced that work is well underway on their first of 100 brand new trains, which is being built at the Bombardier factory in Derby.
The train operating company is replacing all of its trains and 111 of them are being built in the UK at the Bombardier factory in Derby.
The production lines are being set up in Derby and the carriages from the first train are in various stages of assembly.
The aluminium pre-glazed sides, roof and floor, as well as the cabs are manufactured, wired and fitted and painted before being bolted together on the production line.
The Bombardier trains will be used on services from Essex, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire into London Liverpool Street.
A further 58 trains are being made in Stadler, Switzerland, to replace the current intercity, Stansted Express and rural line trains.
What did the officials say?
Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia Managing Director, said:
“It's brilliant to see our brand new trains taking shape. We're confident that they'll make a big difference to customers travelling by train in East Anglia.
“These new trains will be more comfortable and reliable, helping us transform the railway in East Anglia.”
A Bombardier spokesperson said:
“The first train for Greater Anglia is shaping up nicely at our Derby facility, and we are proud to be playing our part in helping transform the railway in East Anglia.”
Malcolm Brown, CEO of Angel Trains – the company procuring and financing the 665 vehicles – said:
“We are delighted to see this fleet of Class 720 Aventra trains being assembled at Bombardier's Derby factory. The £900m deal we signed in September 2016 to procure these new vehicles, one of the largest private investments into rolling stock in the last 20 years, will greatly increase capacity across East Anglia and significantly improve passenger experience.”
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Can’t wait. I’m a regular passenger who use Greater Anglia most of the time and I live in Essex. And this is what I cannot wait for from late this year and into next year.
It’s about time that Greater Anglia will soon replace the older DMU and EMU trains (including Class 153, Class 156, Class 170, Class 90+Mk3, Class 317, Class 321, Class 360 and Class 379). With the new Class 720, Class 745 and Class 755 (Bi-Mode) trains that will serve Essex and the Anglia Region when they do enter passenger service from late this year & next year-onwards.
Greater Anglia might aswell retain the Class 321 “Renatus” or some of the Class 379 Electrostar trains to use them on branch line services in Essex (such as Wickford-Southminster, Colchester-Walton-on-the-Naze, Colchester-Colchester Town and Manningtree-Harwich Town) and use them on some services during peak times including London Liverpool St-Braintree, London Liverpool St-Southminster, London Liverpool St-Colchester & Colchester Town, London Liverpool St-Clacton-on-Sea & Walton-on-the-Naze, London Liverpool St-Ipswich and London Liverpool St-Southend Victoria.