Stadler Class 755 breaks new ground for Greater Anglia

Greater Anglia 755405 became the first of its class to reach Great Yarmouth during daylight hours on January 28, and the first to reach Thetford under its own power two days later.

The Class 755 also ran to Colchester on February 1. They will serve the Essex city on electric power when operating SudburyColchester Town and Lowest of tLondon Liverpool Street trains.

Rail Operations Group is carrying out testing of the trains, ahead of their planned entry into traffic.

GA said night-time testing will continue between Norwich and Diss throughout February and March, as Stadler technicians check the pantographs. So far, the ‘755s’ have not been passed to use electric power.

GA Franchising and Programmes Director Ian McConnell said: “The testing programme is going well and it’s now time to take the trains further afield to carry out some different tests. We have to test them for performance and safety before we can put them into passenger service.”

Martino Celeghini, technical project manager at Stadler, said: “We are now in the final stages of the production process for the bi-modes.”

Stadler is building 14 threecar and 24 four-car trains. GA’s franchise agreement states that delivery and acceptance of 755401755424 will be completed by July, after which 755325-755338 will be delivered.

Meanwhile, testing of 12-car electric multiple units ordered by GA from Stadler continues in mainland Europe, ahead of the delivery of the first set to Norwich Crown Point (due as this issue of

RAIL went to press). GA 745101 and 745103 are carrying out tests, including in snowy conditions.

The first EMUs destined for GA will be four Class 745/1s for Stansted Express, followed by ten Class 745/0s for the Great Eastern Main Line expresses, and then the final six ‘745/1s’ for Stansted. All the ‘745/0s’ are expected to be in traffic by the end of the year.