Published on: Friday, 8 January 2016
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Programme to provide additional 600,000seats a year underway as first upgraded carriages enter service
A programme to provide over 600,000 morestandard seats a year (or 2500 more seats a day) on Abellio Greater Anglia'sintercity trains between Norwich, Ipswich, Colchester and London has begun,with the entry into service of two upgraded carriages, each with 54 extrastandard seats.
The initiative, which is part of the wider£12 million refresh for the intercity carriages, sees seven catering carriagesfitted with 54 standard seats instead of 24 First Class seats, to markedlyincrease the number of standard seats on intercity trains on the Great EasternMain Line.
Combined with minor modifications to anumber of other standard carriages, it will mean an increase in seatingcapacity of more than 13pc on many of the intercity services, when the programmeis completed in the autumn. The modification of the carriages should alsoenable more consistent delivery of the planned seating capacity and setformations on the route, by simplifying the types of carriage in the fleet andhelping to improve fleet reliability.
Coupled with the wider refresh of theintercity carriage fleet, it should lead to a significant improvement in theoverall service experience for intercity passengers on the Norwich - Ipswich -Colchester - London line.
The significant refresh sees all of thetrain operator's Mk III fleet being enhanced, with improvements for both FirstClass and Standard carriages including plug points; new LED lighting; newcarpets; new tables; new seat covers; upgraded environmentally-friendly, controlledemission toilets with new floors and new taps; and the re-painting of bothcarriage interior saloons and the vestibule panels, walls and ceilings.Exterior painting of all carriages is also being undertaken as part of aseparate programme, which is already underway and due for completion inOctober.
Abellio Greater Anglia’s Managing Director,Jamie Burles, said: “The introduction of the first upgraded carriages with anadditional 54 standard seats is another important milestone in the major upgradeprogramme for our intercity services. Combined with the major refresh for theentire intercity fleet, it is a real step forward for customers on this crucialrail artery. We are committed to consistently raising service standards for theremainder of our current short franchise to October 2016, as well as continuingto help build the case for further investment in East Anglia's rail network."