Greater Anglia Class 720 EMU In Regular Service

Greater Anglia is getting 133 five-car Bombardier-built Aventras, which will mostly run into London Liverpool Street from Essex, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Ipswich. Two of these trains were used coupled together to form ten car train for the 16.10 service to London Liverpool Street, from Southend Victoria, before returning as the 17.25 from Liverpool Street, arriving in Southend Victoria at 18.28, on 26 November 2020.

Ian McConnell, Greater Anglia franchise and programmes director, said: „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. Last year, Network Rail finished a long-term programme to completely replace the overhead wire system which was installed in the 1950s on the Southend Victoria line and we are now introducing brand new trains on this route, so together we’re transforming the railway in this region.“

The new five-car Class 720 EMUs are the first in the UK to have underfloor heating which works with an overhead heating and ventilation system to improve passenger comfort and increase foot room for passengers sitting in window seats.

The trains have been procured and financed by Angel Trains. The roll-out of Greater Anglia’s new Bombardier trains will continue on Great Eastern routes in Essex and to Ipswich next year and is expected to begin on the West Anglia route in the second half of 2021.

Greater Anglia is replacing every single train on its network with new trains. The first new train made by Stadler entered passenger service in July 2019 on the Norwich - Lowestoft route. There are already new trains operating all services on the Norwich - London intercity route, Stansted Airport - London, Norwich - Cambridge/Stansted Airport, Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth and Sheringham, Ipswich–Cambridge, Peterborough, Felixstowe and Lowestoft, and Marks Tey - Sudbury routes.