First of Greater Anglia’s new 12-car EMUs arrives at Norwich

Greater Anglia’s first 12-car Stadler electric multiple unit (EMU) arrived at Norwich Crown Point on February 28, for testing and commissioning.

The Class 745/1 (745104) is the first of 20 Class 745s to be delivered to the UK from Switzerland. GA has ten ‘745/0s’ on order for its Norwich-London Liverpool Street route and ten ‘745/1s’ for its Stansted Express operations.

The first four Class 745s to be delivered will be Stansted units, followed by all ten ‘745/0s’ for the Great Eastern Main Line. The latter will be replacing Class 90-hauled Mk 3 sets that must be withdrawn by the end of the year because they do not meet accessibility standards being introduced from January 1 2020.

The Class 745/1s are replacing pairs of four-car Class 379s dating from 2011. Unlike the GE sets, they do not have First Class or a cafe-car, but are fitted with plug and USB sockets, air-conditioning, and fast, free WiFi as well as improved passenger information screens.

• For the FULL story, read RAIL 874, published on March 13, and available digitally on Android, iPad and Kindle from March 9.