GA ‘FLIRTS’ with fleet excellence

BEN JONES visits East Anglia to see how the Swiss-built Stadler FLIRT bi-mode trains - and the Derby-built ‘Aventras’ - have helped Greater Anglia to become the country’s best-performing operator in the five years since their introduction

Even by the standards of the mid-2010s franchise deals, Abellio Greater Anglia’s £1.6 billion plan to replace its entire fleet was bold and ambitious. Hundreds of ex-BR electric multiple units (EMUs), locomotive-hauled trains, a mixed bag of diesel multiple units (DMUs) for rural lines, and even the relatively recent Siemens Class 360s and Bombardier Class 379s would be swept away by a tidal wave of new trains ordered from Bombardier and Stadler. When it won the Anglia franchise in August 2016, Netherlands Railways subsidiary Abellio committed to having its entire new fleet in service by 2020, allowing the older trains to be retired or cascaded elsewhere. They would be supported by new and upgraded depots, improved stations and a range of passenger-focused initiatives to improve the reliability and punctuality of…

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RAIL (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 1022

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