Alstom-built trains for Anglia unveiled in new Great British Railways identity

GBR Anglia brings c2c, Greater Anglia and Network Rail Anglia together under one unified leadership team, aligning track and train more closely to improve reliability, resilience and customer service across the region.

The new identity reflects the three organisations increasingly planning and delivering as one railway, supporting faster and better decisions, clearer accountability and more coordinated services for passengers.

“Track and train are two sides of the same coin but for too long they operated independently of each other, with passengers and taxpayers left to bear the consequences,” said Rail Minister, Lord Peter Hendy.

He added: “By uniting track and train under one identity and leadership in Anglia, we’re creating a more reliable service that will put passengers first. It’s all part of our plan to deliver the biggest reform of our railways in a generation, creating more growth, jobs and homes as we work to set up Great British Railways.”

Ilford Depot

The two Class 357 Electrostar units unveiled in London on Thursday 16 July were painted by Alstom at their Ilford Depot – a Centre of Excellence – which employs over 120 people working on a range of train classes. The electric multiple units (EMUs) are the 52nd and 53rd trains respectively to be completed as part of Alstom’s paint and repair programme for the operator’s entire Class 357 fleet. c2c’s 74 four-car Electrostar units are maintained by Alstom out of the operator’s East Ham Depot. 

With an approximate 35.8 million journeys being made on c2c services every year, the work is extending the longevity and reliability of the Alstom-built Class 357 fleet, as well as enhancing the customer experience and maintaining the highest standards of service. The remaining 21 units left in the programme for c2c will also be painted in the new GBR identity.

c2c’s Class 357 units were built at Alstom’s Derby Litchurch Lane site between 1999 and 2002, and are currently leased from Angel Trains and Porterbrook. The units are on lease until 2029 and run across the c2c route alongside their Class 720 Aventra fleet, which was also built by Alstom in Derby and came into service in 2023. Greater Anglia also runs a fleet of Derby-built Class 720 Aventra EMUs.

Eco-friendly

Each Class 357 train takes approximately 20 days to complete, and the work involves stripping back the cars, including exterior fittings, undertaking minor repairs and restoration and comprehensively re-painting – a layer at a time – to prevent corrosion and rust. A waterborne hydro topcoat is used, which is an eco-friendly paint system with the lowest volatile organic compounds (VOCs) content.

This protects against wear and tear and will enable the trains to operate as successfully for the second half of their life, as they have done for the first. With advances in paint technology, the newly-renovated trains are finished as well – or better – than when they were first introduced.

“It is great to see many of our Derby-built Class 357 trains in passenger service following their exterior refresh works – even more so seeing two units in the new GBR livery. We are committed to continue supporting our customers fleets to provide a much-improved passenger experience and hope to encourage more people to travel by rail. We look forward to continuing to the works with c2c over the remainder of this project,” said Mitchel Sheffield, Senior Operations and Project Manager at Alstom.

Alstom’s Ilford Depot in East London opened in 1949 as an AC EMU facility. Today, the site’s capabilities include modernisation, refurbishment, vehicle painting, re-branding and overhaul. The depot also provides off-site labour deployment services to customers and other Alstom sites. The site has four main workshops with a capability for C4 (undercarriage) and C6 (body) classified overhauls, a logistics centre, paint facilities, and a ground lathe.

“It has been an honour for our team at Ilford Depot to help deliver this newly painted GBR branding to the public. To be able to mobilise and produce in such a small window for our customer has been another enjoyable challenge here at Alstom,” said Daniel Skinner, Paint and Refresh Lead at Alstom.

Market leader

Ilford’s combined modernisation, refurbishment and fleet maintenance capabilities include traction system replacement, European Train Control Systems (ETCS) installation, system upgrades, heavy corrosion repairs, structural modifications and asset life extension, steel and aluminium welding capability, minor collision repairs, and vehicle re-wiring.

Alstom is the market leader in rail services, supporting customers over the entire asset lifecycle with the broadest portfolio of services solutions. Alstom’s FlexCare Modernise™ portfolio enhances and extends the lifetime of rolling stock with Life, Smart and Green modernisation solutions. Alstom addresses a wide range of customer needs including minimising lifecycle costs, reducing environmental impact, and enhancing passenger comfort and train performance. Alstom has modernised over 40,000 vehicles around the world.

Alstom™ is a protected trademark of the Alstom Group.