Video
Greater Anglia shows off its new Intercity trains for services to London
Standard class seating in the new Greater Anglia Intercity train. Picture: GREATER ANGLIA - Credit: Archant
Rail company Greater Anglia has taken delivery of the first of its new Intercity trains that will be used to transform main-line services between Norwich, Ipswich and London.
New First Class seating in the Greater Anglia Intercity train. Picture: GREATER ANGLIA - Credit: Archant
The first 12-car trains built by Swiss company Stadler have now arrived at Greater Anglia's Crown Point depot in Norwich where they are undergoing initial testing before they start running on the line to Liverpool Street.
There will eventually be 10 of these trains in operation, and they are due to start entering service later this year.
The new trains have 752 seats compared to 614 on existing trains, still arranged in the two by two seating in Standard Class and one by two layout in First Class, that customers expect on an Intercity train.
There are USB and plug points for each pair of seats and a mixture of tables and seatback tables. Each train also has air conditioning, wifi and a passenger information screen in each carriage.
The accessible seating area in the new Intercity train. Picture: GREATER ANGLIA - Credit: Archant
Wider automatic push button doors for getting on and off the train are situated in the centre of carriages. The floor level is lower than on existing trains which makes the train more accessible for people with wheelchairs and buggies. On board, there are slightly higher seating areas, where the floor is raised above the train's wheels.
The new Intercity trains will be the only Greater Anglia trains with First Class seating. The majority of seats have tables, but some have seat back tables. The First Class seating is more spacious than the Standard Class.
Most Read
- 1 'Calm, graceful and kind': Tributes paid to martial arts world champion
- 2 Matchday Recap: Outrageous Celina wins it for Town
- 3 Snow falls in Suffolk overnight as cold snap set to continue
- 4 Fire breaks out at British Sugar Factory
- 5 More than 20 drivers caught at speeds of 100mph on A14 within an hour
- 6 Dedicated daughter steps up after tragic death of 'amazing' mum Heidi
- 7 'The bigger picture is the result' - Cook on Crewe win
- 8 Ratings: How the Ipswich Town players performed in their 2-1 Crewe win
- 9 Ipswich Town 2-1 Crewe Alexandra: Celina brilliance just about enough to see Blues home
- 10 No timescale for when Suffolk road closed due to flooding can reopen
There is a café bar and a large accessible area, designed with expert advice from disability professionals, including people with disabilities. Each train has an accessible toilet next to the accessible seating area. There is room for six bikes on the train.
The First Class, accessible and cycle sections are clearly marked on the outside of the trains with different coloured bands - yellow, blue and green respectively - so that they can be easily located from the platform.
One of the new Greater Anglia Intercity trains at Crown Point in Norwich. Picture: GREATER ANGLIA - Credit: Archant
Greater Anglia director Ian McConnell said: "We've now got three out of ten of our new intercity trains in East Anglia, ready to undergo a series of safety and performance tests.
"We are very much looking forward to getting them into service, as they will completely transform our customers' journeys."
