Fare Increases Announced

The expected fare increases in the region have been announced. Annual season ticket examples as follows:

• Colchester £4,690 (up from 4,556 - increase of 2.72%)
• Clacton £5,152 (up from £4,984 - increase of 4.1%)
• Harwich £5,312 (up from 5,104 - increase of 4.07%)
• Manningtree £5,232 (up from £5,060 - increase of 3.4%)

ERUF Update

We at ERUF have been slow recently to update this website  to tell readers about what we are doing.  Rest assured we are well aware of what is going on, and do monitor Twitter feeds to find out what train commuters are saying about the service.  Committee members all use Greater Anglia train services on a fairly regular basis and about half are daily commuters.

Behind the scenes we have been working with local MPs, Essex County Council and Greater Anglia to develop the East Anglia Rail Manifesto, a call for serious investment in the trains and infrastructure in the Greater Anglia Franchise area.  This has been well received by the Department for Transport and by government ministers.   We are in direct contact with civil servants who are well aware that the train service is not what it should be.

Part of the problem is that government interference in the franchising process has led to a ten year period of decline; first National Express East Anglia (formerly 'one') (2003 to 2012) was a “plain vanilla” franchise, let on the cheap with no money for any sort of investment.  This has been followed by the Greater Anglia franchise, which was to last for two years, and will now probably be let for a further two years.   These short franchises are far too short for any real investment to be made in improving an already run down train service.  Patch and mend can only work for so long, and the results are plain to see.

We are meeting again with civil servants in the coming week and are pressing for major refurbishment of the existing train fleet and for the class 387 trains currently being built for Thameslink to be transfered to our line once new trains are delivered for Thameslink in 2018.  Class 387 trains will be similar to the Stansted Express fleet, but will be capable of 110mph.   We also want the class 360 (plug door) trains to be upgraded for 110mph running.  We believe that many of the class 321 sliding door trains should be displaced as they would be more suitable for use on newly electrified lines in the Cardiff or Manchester areas where they would replace short diesel trains.  We will also be pushing for the improvements listed in the East Anglia Rail Manifesto.   We have the full support of Essex County Council in what we proposing.

New MD for Greater Anglia

Abellio, the parent company of Greater Anglia, this afternoon issued the following press release:

"NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR ABELLIO GREATER ANGLIA

Following the conclusion of a rigorous selection process, Abellio UK has selected Jamie Burles to succeed Ruud Haket as Managing Director of the Abellio Greater Anglia franchise.

Commenting on the appointment, Abellio UK Managing Director Dominic Booth said: “We are delighted to appoint Jamie as MD of the Abellio Greater Anglia business. Ruud and the team have done an amazing job in a very short time, and we were determined to find a replacement with the calibre and inspirational qualities to maintain the momentum for change and improvement across the whole franchise. Jamie will do just that.”

Jamie is a Bid Director at Abellio UK, where he is currently managing the company’s bid for the new Thameslink franchise. He will continue in that role until the decision on franchise award, and will take the reins at Abellio Greater Anglia on 1 April 2014.

Commenting on his appointment, Jamie said “I’m looking forward immensely to being part of what is already a very dynamic and successful team at Abellio Greater Anglia. Building on the impressive start they have made, and delivering even more exciting improvements for passengers will be my sole focus. Abellio Greater Anglia serves one of the fastest growing regions in the country, and a modern, efficient, attractive rail network will be crucial to sustaining that growth.”

Prior to joining Abellio UK, Jamie had experience as an MD in the healthcare sector and Commercial Director roles within Northern Rail, Vax and Midland Mainline.

Ruud Haket will leave the business at the end of January 2014. Adam Golton, currently Finance Director of Abellio Greater Anglia, will be appointed Interim Managing Director to provide continuity until Jamie arrives. "

No Trains Before 9am on 28th October

Due to the forecast storm approaching the region, Greater Anglia have issued the following statement:

"On Monday 28th October Greater Anglia will be suspending services on all Greater Anglia routes until 09:00. Customers are advised not to attempt to travel before 09:00.

We have worked with Network Rail and our plans are based on the high winds of up to 75mph forecast across our region early on Monday morning which presents a significant risk of falling trees/branches, damage to railway equipment and will severely limit our ability to safely and quickly respond to any incidents which may occur.
We will be working with Network Rail throughout the night to ensure that the railway is open as soon as possible on Monday morning but we need to undertake checks across every area of our routes in order to ensure that services can run safely. We are working closely with Network Rail to deploy additional staff across the network overnight and throughout the early morning.
From 09:00 we will look to run a reduced service on all lines but we expect there to be significant disruption to services throughout the day.
We will update our website (greateranglia.co.uk) and our Twitter feed (@greateranglia) throughout the morning with the latest advice and information. Customers are strongly advised to check the latest travel information before setting out.
Customers with Greater Anglia tickets dated for travel on Monday 28th October can travel on Sunday 27th and Tuesday 29th October. Customers with Advanced Purchase tickets dated for Sunday 27th are advised that restrictions on the time of travel are suspended.
Other operators across South East England are likely to be affected and details of their services are available here www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/60152.aspx"

Greater Anglia Nominated For Top Award

Greater Anglia has been nominated for Rail Operator Of The Year award at the National Transport Awards.  Among the reasons fro being nominated are:

• Best punctuality ever seen in this region
• Improved ticketing service
• Service provided during the Olympics
• The alliance with Network Rail resulting in fewer weekend disruptions

The winner will be announced at the awards ceremony in October.

Ticket Office Availability

A number of ERUF members are reporting that ticket offices are closed more and more often in recent months.  Have you been affected? Let us know at info@eruf.org

Class 321 Refurbishment

An advertisement in RAIL magazine from Evershot Rail suggests they will be refurbishing the Class 321 fleet for Greater Anglia.  The 321 trains are the older sliding door units that form the backbone of outer suburban services between Ipswich and London including branch services to Clacton, Walton, Harwich and Braintree.

The Advertisement says "coming soon" and promises "modern seat design; Bright, quiet and comfortable environment; Air conditioning, LED lighting and new windows."

Watch this space....