24.09.18
Stadler unveils new Greater Anglia bi-mode train set to ‘transform rail travel’
Stadler has revealed a Greater Anglia bi-mode unit (BMU) which will form part of the new 58-train fleet for the East Anglia network.
Unveiled at InnoTrans, the leading international trade exhibition for transport technology, Stadler displayed the new model for the first time, which it says is “set to transform rail travel” in East Anglia.
The Swiss rail manufacturer, in partnership with Greater Anglia and Rock Rail, jointly unveiled the BMU which is scheduled to enter service in 2019.
The new train fleet will be “reliable, fast, comfortable and attractive” and will 20% carry more passengers than their predecessors. It will also be greener than predecessors and will be equipped with low flooring to make trains more accessible for wheelchair users and pushchairs.
Out of the 58 new trains set to replace Greater Anglia’s existing intercity, rural and Stansted Express fleets, 38 will be bi-mode. These will run on rural routes in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire; 24 will have four carriages and 14 will operate as three-carriage vehicles.
Stadler will also be responsible for maintaining the units, which will be leased to Greater Anglia and financed by Rock Rail East Anglia. The company is working with the TOC on the design of a new depot at Crown Point and the two organisations are currently establishing an asset management system ahead of introduction next year.
Jamie Burles, managing director of Greater Anglia said: “It’s exciting to see the first completed train from Stadler. We're very much looking forward to these trains arriving in East Anglia, where they will play a key part in revolutionising and modernising the railway in our region.
“We’re confident they will transform our customers' journeys, offering them a new level of comfort.”
Earlier this month, Stadler started testing the new bi-mode train fleet in its Velim Test-Centre in Czech Republic.
Group chief executive of Stadler, Thomas Ahlburg, added: “The contract awarded two years ago was our first for intercity and local trains in the UK, and we are immensely proud to be showcasing this state-of-the-art new vehicle, together with our partners, Greater Anglia and Rock Rail.”
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