More people in Essex making the switch to rail

Chelmsford is the busiest rail station in Essex, latest figures show.

Data from the Office of Rail and Road shows that 8.6 million entries and exits were recorded at the station last year, up 3.6% on the previous year, meaning over 82,000 people passed through every week.

It is a similar picture at Colchester and Colchester Town stations where the number of people using the station grew by 1.7% at both stations last year, with 4.5 million and 771,000 entries and exits recorded respectively.

At Braintree Freeport, which services the Braintree Village shopping centre and leisure complex, the number of station users was up 17.2%, recording over 91,000 entries and exits.

Martin Moran, Greater Anglia’s Commercial, Customer Service and Train Presentation Director, said, “With the rising costs of travelling by car, increasingly congested roads and the need for all of us to reduce our carbon footprint, more and more people are choosing to travel by train.

“We expect that as we continue to transform rail travel in East Anglia with our brand-new fleet of longer trains and upgraded stations, and with our great value fares including Groupsave, kids for £2 and advance fares, even more people will make the switch.”

The first new train to serve Essex stations – one of Greater Anglia’s brand new intercity trains - came into passenger service earlier this month, calling at Manningtree and Colchester.

Between now and Easter, all of the company’s new intercity trains will come into passenger service, including services calling at Chelmsford.

This week, the first of Greater Anglia’s new electric commuter trains, made by Bombardier, arrived for testing on the network, due to enter passenger service in the Spring.