REGIONAL train operator National Express East Anglia yesterday revealed details of its new winter timetable, including extra seating on many mainline services into and out ofLiverpool Street.

The timetable, which comes into force on December 12, includes a range of improvements forming part of the company’s previously announced Service Improvement Plan agreed in conjunction with the Department for Transport.

There will be additional seats on many morning and evening peak trains on the London-Norwich route, including Chelmsford, Colchester and Ipswich, and also on off-peak services between Ipswich and London. In addition, more mainline trains will stop at Stratford, providing connections with Underground, Overground and Docklands Light Railyway services.

Away from the mainline, a new hourly service between Ipswich and Saxmundham will operate, with journeys from Lowestoft now involving a change of trains at Ipswich. There are still plans for an hourly Ipswich-Lowestoft service from December 2012, subject to completion of the planned passing loop at Beccles.

Elsewhere, there will be faster off-peak services between Harwich and London (involving a change at Mannintree, although key peak and boat-train services will remain direct) and there will be later evening connections from London to Sudbury and Walton-on-the-Naze.

Most Ipswich-Cambridge services will be upgraded to more modern two-carriage trains and there will be a revised weekday service and earlier Sunday trains on the Ipswich-Felixstowe line.

Andrew Chivers, managing director at National Express East Anglia, said: “Our new December timetable will offer customers on our key mainline route serving the City a significantly better service with over 4,000 extra seats at peak-time, more stops at Stratford and an improved pattern of service throughout.”

The full timetables can be viewed at www.nationalexpresseastanglia.com together with more detailed information about the timetable changes.