Published on: Thursday, 7 July 2016
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Class 68 diesel-powered set will cover fordamaged Class 170 diesel unit on regional routes
Abellio Greater Anglia (AGA) is hiring anadditional train to give passengers on its regional routes the best possibleservice over the months ahead - including the busy summer season on its locallines. The train will operate with two Class 68 diesel locomotives and threeMk2 carriages on the Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Norwich to Lowestoft routes,to cover for a damaged Class 170 unit diesel unit - which was involved in anincident in April, which has necessitated extensive and lengthy repairs.
The additional train is scheduled tooperate on Mondays to Fridays from Monday 11 July to Friday 30 September on thefollowing scheduled services:
06.52 Norwich to Great Yarmouth
07.30 Great Yarmouth to Norwich
08.09 Norwich to Great Yarmouth
08.46 Great Yarmouth to Norwich
10.05 Norwich to Lowestoft
10.57 Lowestoft to Norwich
16.40 Norwich to Great Yarmouth
17.18 Great Yarmouth to Norwich
18.06 Norwich to Great Yarmouth
18.47 Great Yarmouth to Norwich
20.40 Norwich to Great Yarmouth
21.18 Great Yarmouth to Norwich
22.05 Norwich to Lowestoft
Although the train operator has been ableto cover for the damaged diesel unit in the short term, that arrangement wasnot practical or sustainable in the medium term. AGA has therefore come to anagreement with Direct Rail Services to hire the additional train until 30September. It will help maintain performance and customer standards on theoperator's regional routes by improving punctuality and reliability andprotecting seating capacity, enabling the planned service to be operated acrossall of AGA's regional routes on a consistent basis, as well as providing extraseats over the busy summer period.
The Class 68 locomotives are brand new, powerfuldiesel locomotives. It is the first time they have been used on regularpassenger services in East Anglia so, as well as performing their core purposeof protecting service delivery standards for customers, they are likely toprove popular with rail enthusiasts. Generating 3,800 horsepower they are someof the most powerful diesel locomotives ever used on the UK rail network.
This extra train operates in addition tothe Class 37-powered train also used on some of its Norwich to Great Yarmouthand Norwich to Lowestoft services.
AGA is still looking at options for ongoingcover from October onwards until the Class 170 diesel unit is repaired andreturned to service. It will announce those further plans once they areagreed.