Bombardier is to begin testing its new fleet of Class 720 Aventra units for Greater Anglia after unveiling one of the first completed trains at its factory in Derby.
Bombardier is building 665 new carriages in total – 22 10-car trains and 89 five-car trains – to replace Greater Anglia’s commuter trains in Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and parts of Suffolk.
Greater Anglia said the trains’ underfloor heating and air conditioning units will do away with the need for heating vents and create more legroom for passengers.
The walkthrough carriages will also allow passengers to move easily along the train.
While the new Aventras won’t enter passenger service until next autumn, passengers will start seeing them on the network when they begin dynamic testing in early 2019.
Greater Anglia’s Andrew Goodrum, who is leading the introduction of the new trains, said: “It’s great to see these new trains nearing completion. It’s now possible to see the huge difference they’re going to make to our commuters and other customers travelling to and from London Liverpool Street and across much of the Greater Anglia network.
“These new trains should be much more comfortable for customers, as well as more reliable.”
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