Greater Anglia and Network Rail have made new preparations to cope with extreme weather– drawing on experience and customer feedback from the Beast from the East.

Greater Anglia has drawn up an Extreme Weather Incident Management Plan which details the changes the operator will make to train services, liaising with Network Rail, during heavy snow, as well as other extreme weather conditions such as high winds, floods and high temperatures.

Greater Anglia has appointed a new Engineering Director to oversee the maintenance, professional engineering and safe, efficient operation of its fleet of trains.

Sudbury rail station is to become an art gallery for a group of local schoolchildren who will hold an exhibition of their work there.

The pupils, aged 11 – 13, from the Thomas Gainsborough School, have been working with the Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership and train operator, Greater Anglia, on the project.

The art work – due to go on display later this month - will feature the students’ photography around the theme of ‘Patterns in Nature’ and will be displayed on large poster boards at the station and all along the fence at the station entrance.

Commuters in East Anglia are being encouraged to beat the January blues by stopping for a chat and a cup of tea on Monday, as part of a wider campaign by Samaritans.

Greater Anglia is supporting Samaritans’ Brew Monday initiative, which takes place on ‘Blue Monday’ – the third Monday of January, dubbed the most difficult day of the year.

Events will be held at stations across the Greater Anglia network, including Ely, Cambridge, Norwich, Lowestoft, Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Stowmarket and Southend Victoria on Monday 21 January.

Greater Anglia is thanking passengers for their generosity after they donated over £8,000 to Samaritans in 2018 through the train operator’s ‘Delay Repay’ compensation scheme.

The train operator’s online claim form now includes an option to donate to the charity, in response to customer feedback.

The donations will give the charity, which provides training for Greater Anglia staff to help them support people in crisis and prevent suicides, a huge boost.

Fare dodgers left court more than £12,000 worse off after Greater Anglia prosecuted people caught riding trains in Essex without tickets.

A total of 68 people were prosecuted at Basildon Magistrates’ Court on Monday 7 January, after they were caught without tickets on Greater Anglia trains on the Southend Victoria line.

Magistrates imposed fines of £7,782 and costs of £5,000 on 68 people who were accused of fare evasion. One defendant was given a 12-month Community Order, which included 250 hours of unpaid work.