Greater Anglia Trains: An Introduction

Greater Anglia (Abellio East Anglia Limited) is a British train operating business held in partnership with Transport UK Group and Mitsui & Co. It runs the East Anglia franchise, which provides commuter and intercity services from London to Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, and sections of Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, as well as a variety of regional routes across the East of England.

In February 2012, Abellio began running the franchise, which was then known as the Greater Anglia Trains franchise. It initially traded under the same name until December 2013, when it relaunched as Abellio Greater Anglia. Greater Anglia's metro operations were transferred to London Overground and TfL Rail, the precursor to Crossrail, in May 2015.

New Trains from Greater Anglia

Alstom built Greater Anglia's new commuter trains in the UK.

Each carriage of Greater Anglia's new Alstom Aventra Class 720 trains is longer and has more seats than the carriages of older trains.

They have USB and plug ports, fast free internet, air conditioning, and increased accessibility amenities such as accessible toilets on every train, updated passenger information screens, and dedicated cycle areas.

The trains are the first in the UK to have underfloor heating, which works in tandem with an overhead heating and ventilation system to improve passenger comfort and provide more space for passengers in window seats.

They have regenerative braking, which returns energy to the electrical supply network rather than dissipating it via heat, as traditional systems do.

The last pre-planned use of the remaining older Class 321 trains was on Monday, 3 April, after which only a handful of those electric trains are available for use as short-notice spare trains or to provide flexibility in the event of disruption or other unplanned developments for a few more weeks.

E-Scooters on Greater Anglia Trains

Greater Anglia is banning the carrying of e-scooters on all of its trains, citing concerns about possible dangers to passenger safety.

Because of the risk posed by the sort of batteries used to power the scooters, e-scooters will no longer be permitted on Greater Anglia trains from Thursday, June 1, 2023.

The operator is taking precautions to safeguard the safety of the railway and its passengers, as are many other train operators.

Other railway companies are also enforcing the ban on the same day.

Even though there have been no safety concerns with e-scooters on Greater Anglia services as yet, Transport for London has also banned e-scooters following two cases of privately owned powered e-scooters catching fire on their network.

Accessibility Features on the Greater Anglia Trains Website

As part of the company's accessibility policy, website users may now use Recite Me assistive technology to personalize their digital experience by accessing a wide range of accessibility and language assistance options.

Being able to provide an inclusive experience is critical for supporting more than 20% of the population who may face difficulties online due to a disability, learning problem, visual impairment, or speaking English as a second language.

On Greater Anglia's website, the new Recite Me assistive toolbar features screen reading capabilities, several reading aids, adjustable design options, and an on-demand live translation facility with over 100 languages, including 65 text-to-speech and styling options.