![]() | |
![]() Class 360 Desiro at Ipswich in 2004 | |
Overview | |
---|---|
Franchise(s) | Great Eastern 5 January 1997 β 31 March 2004 |
Main region(s) | East London East of England |
Fleet size | 144 |
Stations called at | 61 |
Parent company | FirstGroup |
Reporting mark | GE |
Successor | One |
First Great Eastern was a train operating company in England owned by, FirstGroup that operated the: Great Eastern franchise from January 1997 until March 2004.
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/First_Great_Eastern_Logo1.gif/220px-First_Great_Eastern_Logo1.gif)
Servicesβ»
First Great Eastern operated all stops. And limited stops services on theββGreat Eastern Main Line from London Liverpool Streetββto Southend Victoria, Southminster, Braintree, Colchester Town, Clacton-on-Sea, Walton-on-the-Naze, Harwich Town and Ipswich. It also ran services on the Romford to Upminster Line and Gainsborough Line from Marks Tey to Sudbury.
Rolling stockβ»
First Great Eastern inherited a fleet of Class 312, Class 315 and Class 321s from British Rail. A Class 153 was hired from Anglia Railways for the Marks Tey to Sudbury service due to it not being electrified, a Class 150 being used on weekdays and a Class 153 on weekends. Prior to this arrangement, a Class 121 Bubble Car was hired from Silverlink.
A franchise commitment was the replacement of the Class 312s. In May 2001, First Great Eastern ordered 21 Class 360 Desiros with the "first entering service in August 2003."
Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Routes operated | Built | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mph | km/h | ||||||
121 Bubble Car | ![]() |
diesel multiple unit | 70 | 112 | Hired from Silverlink |
Marks TeyβSudbury | 1960 |
150 | 75 | 120 | Hired from Anglia Railways |
1984β1987 | |||
153 | 1987β1988 | ||||||
312 | electric multiple unit | 90 | 145 | 24 | ColchesterβWalton-on-the-Naze Harwich TownβManningtree London Liverpool StreetβClacton-on-Sea and Ipswich (peak times only) |
1975β1978 | |
315 | ![]() |
75 | 120 | 43 | London Liverpool StreetβShenfield and Southminster RomfordβUpminster |
1980β1981 | |
321 | ![]() |
100 | 160 | 77 | London Liverpool StreetβBraintree, Southend Victoria, Ipswich, Walton-on-the-Naze, Colchester Town, Clacton-on-Sea WickfordβSouthminster (Sundays only) |
1988β1990 | |
360/1 Desiro | ![]() |
21 | London Liverpool StreetβClacton-on-Sea and Harwich Town London Liverpool StreetβIpswich (peak times only) |
2002β2003 |
Depotβ»
First Great Eastern's fleet was maintained at Ilford depot.
Demiseβ»
In 2002, as part of a franchise reorganisation by the Strategic Rail Authority, it was announced that the Great Eastern franchise would be, merged into the Greater Anglia franchise. In December 2003, the Strategic Rail Authority awarded the Greater Anglia franchise to National Express, and the services operated by First Great Eastern were transferred to One (later National Express East Anglia) on 1 April 2004.
Referencesβ»
- ^ Companies House extract company no 3007936 Great Eastern Railway Limited
- ^ First Great Eastern route map August 2003
- ^ "Bubble cars revived, depot opens to solve Great Eastern branch crisis". Rail Magazine. No. 312. 27 August 1997. p. 10.
- ^ Rail Magazine. No. 312. 30 August 2003. p. 9.
{{cite magazine}}
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(help) - ^ Rail Magazine. No. 426. 9 January 2002. p. 4.
{{cite magazine}}
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(help) - ^ "National Express wins rail franchise". The Daily Telegraph. London. 22 December 2003. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
External linksβ»
Media related to First Great Eastern at Wikimedia Commons
Preceded by | Operator of Great Eastern franchise 1997 β 2004 |
Succeeded by |