Stadler was awarded a £610m contract in October 2016 to supply 58 Flirt UK sets in regional (class 755) and inter-city (class 745) variants. The order comprises 10 12-car EMUs for London - Norwich services; 10 12-car EMUs for Stansted Express airport services; 24 four-car bi-mode (diesel and electric) trains for regional services; and 14 three-car bi-mode trains for regional services.
The order is part of a £1.4bn programme to renew the entire Greater Anglia train fleet. In addition to the Flirst, this includes 665 Aventra EMU cars from Bombardier.
The train on display in Berlin is the fifth four-car class 755 set. Four trains are currently undergoing tests at various locations including the Velim test centre in the Czech Republic.
Stadler expects to deliver the first train to Britain in late October and the fleet will enter commercial service on regional routes in Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire in May 2019.
“The benefits of these new trains for our customers, communities and staff will be huge,” says Greater Anglia managing director Mr Jamie Burles. “The delivery of new trains underpins our plans for better timetables and better frequencies. This really is a massive upgrade for the railways of East Anglia. We’re putting inter-city quality trains onto regional routes and our customers won’t believe the step-change in quality.”
