Anglia Railways

The InterCity Anglia franchise was awarded by the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising to GB Railways with the franchise commencing on 5 January 1997.[2] In June 1998, Anglia Railways unveiled a turquoise and white livery.[3][4][5] Prior to 1997 the trains were run by British Rail sectors of InterCity, Regional Railways and Network SouthEast. After March 2004 the trains were run by National Express East Anglia.

Anglia Railways operated InterCity services on the Great Eastern Main Line from London Liverpool Street to Harwich International and Norwich. It also operated regional services between Ipswich & Felixstowe, Ipswich & Lowestoft, Ipswich & Ely, Harwich International / Ipswich & Cambridge, Ely & Peterborough, Norwich & Ely, Norwich & Sheringham, Norwich & Great Yarmouth and Norwich & Lowestoft.[6]

A franchise commitment was to increase the hourly London Liverpool Street and Norwich services to half-hourly.[7] The half-hourly service was introduced in 2000 with some extended to Sheringham, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.

With funding from the Strategic Rail Authority's Rail Partnership Funding, Anglia introduced a new experimental service from the Great Eastern Main Line via the North London Line to Basingstoke branded London Crosslink. It operated from 22 May 2000 until ceasing on 28 September 2002 due to poor loadings.[8][9]

A more successful new service with Rail Partnership Funding was introduced on 29 September 2002 from Norwich to Cambridge. This continues to operate.[10]

Anglia Railways inherited a fleet of Class 86s, Mark 2 carriages, Driving Brake Standard Opens, Class 150s and Class 153s from British Rail. On 10 June 1998, it unveiled its turquoise and white livery.[11] In June 1998, preserved British Rail Class 201 1001 commenced an eleven-month lease operating services from Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.[12]

To meet a franchise commitment to operate two services per hour between London Liverpool Street and Norwich, eight three-carriage Class 170s were delivered in 1999/2000.[13] A further four two-carriage Class 170s were delivered in 2002. Due to the new stock running late, West Anglia Great Northern Class 317s and Class 322s were used for a time.[14][15]

The three-carriage Class 170s were used on new services from London Liverpool Street to Sheringham, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, on London Crosslink services as well as being hired to GB Railways' Hull Trains subsidiary to work London King's Cross to Hull services from September 2000.[16] The two-carriage examples were principally used on the new Norwich to Cambridge services.

Anglia hired a Class 47 from Cotswold Rail from June 2002 as a rescue locomotive and to haul Mark 2 sets on Summer Saturday services to Great Yarmouth.[17]

In July 2002, Anglia hired a Class 90 from Freightliner for a few months with a view to replacing the Class 86s.[18][19] In October 2003, Anglia began operating three Class 90s from English Welsh & Scottish until the end of the franchise.[20][21]

Fleet at end of franchise

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number	Built
			mph	km/h
47		Diesel locomotive	100	160	Hired from Cotswold Rail	1962–1968
86		Electric locomotive			15	1965-1966
90			110	177	3	1987-1990
150/2		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	10	1984–1987
153					7	1987–1988
170/2			100	160	12	1999–2002
Mark 2		Passenger carriage			115	1964–1975
		DBSO			13	1979–1986

Crown Point TMD in November 2001

Anglia Railway's fleet was maintained at Crown Point TMD.

In 2002, as part of a franchise reorganisation by the Strategic Rail Authority, it was announced that the Anglia Railways franchise would be merged into the Greater Anglia franchise.[22] Having missed out on pre-qualifying for the Greater Anglia franchise, FirstGroup purchased GB Railways in August 2003.[23][24]

In December 2003, the Strategic Rail Authority awarded the Greater Anglia franchise to National Express with the services operated by Anglia Railways transferring to One on 1 April 2004.[25]

• Media related to Anglia Railways at Wikimedia Commons
• Company website