Abellio Greater Anglia completes upgrade to Class 153 train fleet

Published on: Tuesday, 10 February 2015
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016

The last of Abellio Greater Anglia’s Class 153 trains to undergo a refurbishment programme has returned to passenger service.

The £300K works to upgrade the train operator’s five Class 153 trains was funded by owning company, Porterbrook, and included:

The installation of new, energy efficient LED internal lighting

  • New carpets
  • Deep cleaning of seat covers
  • The installation of more energy efficient heater units
  • Replacement internal side (dado) panels
  • Replacement of all large windows with laminated glass
  • Renewal of door control equipment
  • Improvements to the driving cab, such as seating and desk adjustments
  • External repaint in Abellio Greater Anglia livery

The final train to be completed, 153314, entered passenger service on Tuesday 27 January on the train operator’s local branch lines between Ipswich and Cambridge and Ipswich and Felixstowe, and will also operate services from Ipswich to Lowestoft and Norwich to Sheringham, Cromer, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.

Following the refurbishment, Abellio Greater Anglia invested a further £9K in a complete internal repaint and new tables for 153314. The train operator’s remaining four 153 units will now also receive an interior repaint and new tables during 2015, with the work being carried out at the company’s Crown Point Depot, Norwich.

Abellio Greater Anglia’s Customer Service Director, Andrew Goodrum, said, “I am delighted that this extensive upgrade to our fleet of 153 trains will deliver a significantly improved travelling environment for rail passengers in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire with better levels of lighting, heating, new carpets throughout and a fresh coat of paint externally and internally.

The work was carried out by KBRS at Wolverton Works, Milton Keynes.