First GBR trains for Anglia unveiled
posted on 21st Jul 2026 10:03
On 16 July 2026, the first trains to carry the new Great British Railways identity for Anglia have been unveiled at London Liverpool Street station. Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy joined GBR Anglia Managing Director Jamie Burles and colleagues from c2c, Greater Anglia and Network Rail Anglia at the event, where c2c units 357 008 and 020 and Greater Anglia units 720 144 and 501 were displayed in the distinctive red, white and blue GBR livery.
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.“
Early progress includes securing approval for Greater Anglia Class 720 EUMs to operate on the c2c network, providing greater resilience and flexibility across the two train fleets and helping the railway respond more effectively when trains are unavailable or services are disrupted.
Meanwhile, closer planning between Greater Anglia and Network Rail Anglia has enabled a trial of overnight Friday Stansted Express services. Engineering plans were reviewed and adjusted where possible, while protecting essential maintenance, to provide additional travel options for customers arriving on late flights or travelling for early departures.
Further work is under way to coordinate maintenance more closely, expand the use of on-train technology to identify potential infrastructure faults earlier, improve data sharing and develop joint marketing to encourage rail travel to and from Southend.
Customers will begin to see more trains carrying the GBR Anglia identity over the coming weeks and months. Further Class 357 EMUs will receive the new livery as they pass through c2c’s existing fleet repaint and planned maintenance programme, helping to deliver the transition efficiently and with minimal disruption to services.
Across the wider fleet, existing c2c and Greater Anglia logos will gradually be replaced by GBR Anglia branding. The internationally recognised Stansted Express identity will be retained and will transition to GBR Stansted Express. Customers will also see the new identity introduced gradually across station signage and wayfinding, colleague materials and customer communications.
The transition will take place gradually, and customers will continue to see a mixture of GBR Anglia, Greater Anglia and c2c branding across the region for some time. Existing train services, tickets and customer arrangements will not change.
