First Great Eastern was an award-winning train operating company

Train operating company

The term train operating company is used in the United Kingdom to describe the various businesses operating passenger trains on the railway system of Great Britain under the collective National Rail brand...

 (TOC) that operated suburban, local and medium distance train

Train

A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...

 services from London Liverpool Street

Liverpool Street station

Liverpool Street railway station, also known as London Liverpool Street or simply Liverpool Street, is both a central London railway terminus and a connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, England...

 via Romford

Romford

Romford is a large suburban town in north east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...

 to Essex and Ipswich

Ipswich

Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...

 in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 on the Great Eastern Main Line

Great Eastern Main Line

The Great Eastern Main Line is a 212 Kilometre major railway line of the British railway system, which connects Liverpool Street in the City of London with destinations in east London and the East of England, including Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich and several coastal resorts such as...

 (GEML) railway.

First Group gained the Great Eastern franchise in 1997 as part of the Privatisation of British Rail

Privatisation of British Rail

The privatisation of British Rail was set in motion when the Conservative government enacted, on 19 January 1993, the British Coal and British Rail Act 1993 . This enabled the relevant Secretary of State to issue directions to the relevant Board...

. In 2003, as part of a franchise reorganisation planned by the then Strategic Rail Authority

Strategic Rail Authority

In existence from 2001 to 2006, the Strategic Rail Authority was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom set up under the Transport Act 2000 to provide strategic direction for the railway industry....

, the Great Eastern was to be merged to form a 'Greater Anglia' franchise. This new contract was won by National Express Group

National Express Group

National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...

 who took over First Great Eastern operations on April 1, 2004 using the brand name 'one', which has since been rebranded as National Express East Anglia.

Most lines previously served by First Great Eastern are electrified with 25 kV AC

25 kV AC

The 25 kV Alternating current railway electrification system is commonly used in railways worldwide, especially for high-speed rail.-Overview:This electrification system is ideal for railways that cover long distances and/or carry heavy traffic...

 overhead catenary wires, with the exception of the Marks Tey to Sudbury branch line

Sudbury Branch Line

The Gainsborough Line is the marketing name of the Sudbury Branch Line, a single track railway line running through the rural area between Sudbury and Marks Tey in England with connecting trains from Marks Tey station to London, Colchester and other destinations...

, which is served by diesel

Diesel locomotive

A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...

 units.

Branches served

• Romford
  Romford railway station
  Romford station is located in Romford, London Borough of Havering. It is situated between Chadwell Heath and Gidea Park. It is the western terminus of the Upminster branch line from Upminster....
  
   to Upminster
  Upminster station
  Upminster station is a London Underground and National Rail station located in Upminster in the London Borough of Havering and in London fare zone 6. Located east-northeast of Charing Cross, it is the easternmost station on the London Underground network and the eastern terminus of the District...
  
  
• Shenfield
  Shenfield railway station
  Shenfield is a major station located in Shenfield in the borough of Brentwood in Essex, England. It lies on the Great Eastern Main Line and links Liverpool Street station in the City of London to places in the East of England. It was first opened by the Eastern Counties Railway on 29 March 1843 on...
  
   to Southend Victoria
  Southend Victoria railway station
  Southend Victoria is one of two major railway stations in the town of Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England. The station is the terminus of the Shenfield to Southend Line, which is a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line...
  
  
• Shenfield
  Shenfield railway station
  Shenfield is a major station located in Shenfield in the borough of Brentwood in Essex, England. It lies on the Great Eastern Main Line and links Liverpool Street station in the City of London to places in the East of England. It was first opened by the Eastern Counties Railway on 29 March 1843 on...
  
   to Southminster
  Southminster railway station
  Southminster railway station serves the small town of Southminster in Essex, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by National Express East Anglia...
  
  
• Witham
  Witham railway station
  Witham railway station is a railway station serving the town of Witham in Essex. The station is located on the Great Eastern Main Line and is also the junction of the Witham-Braintree line...
  
   to Braintree
  Braintree railway station
  Braintree railway station is owned by Network Rail and managed by train operating company National Express East Anglia. Most trains run direct to London Liverpool Street, joining the Great Eastern Main Line at Witham...
  
  
• Marks Tey
  Marks Tey railway station
  Marks Tey is a railway station serving the village of Marks Tey in Essex, England. The station is located on the Great Eastern Main Line and is also a junction for the Sudbury Branch Line.The station is served by National Express East Anglia...
  
   to Sudbury
  Sudbury railway station
  Sudbury railway station is a railway station serving the town of Sudbury in Suffolk, England. It is the single-platform northern terminus of the Gainsborough Line, and is managed by National Express East Anglia, who provide all train services. The station is located on the edge of the town...
  
  
• Colchester
  Colchester railway station
  Colchester or Colchester North is the main railway station for Colchester in Essex, England. It is on the former Great Eastern Railway main line from London Liverpool Street to Norwich and is a junction for the line to Walton-on-the-Naze and Clacton-on-Sea, which diverges southwards from the main...
  
   to Clacton-on-Sea
  Clacton railway station
  Clacton-on-Sea railway station serves the town of Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, England. It is located to the north of Clacton town centre, within walking distance of the sea and pier....
  
   and Walton-on-the-Naze
• Colchester
  Colchester railway station
  Colchester or Colchester North is the main railway station for Colchester in Essex, England. It is on the former Great Eastern Railway main line from London Liverpool Street to Norwich and is a junction for the line to Walton-on-the-Naze and Clacton-on-Sea, which diverges southwards from the main...
  
   to Colchester Town
  Colchester Town railway station
  Colchester Town railway station serves the town centre of Colchester in Essex, England. It is located on the Colchester to Clacton line and is one of only a small number of drive in/reverse out stations on the British network. It was formerly known as St Botolph's...
  
  
• Manningtree
  Manningtree railway station
  Manningtree is a railway station which serves the town of Manningtree in Essex, England. Services are provided by National Express East Anglia. The station is on the Great Eastern Main Line between London and Norwich and is the only station on the main line between Colchester and Ipswich....
  
   to Harwich Town
  Harwich Town railway station
  Harwich Town is a railway station which serves the town of Harwich, in Essex, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by National Express East Anglia...
  
  

Fleet

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number	Routes operated	Built
			mph	km/h
Class 150 British Rail Class 150 The British Rail Class 150 "Sprinter" diesel multiple units were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier first-generation "Heritage" DMUs.- Background :...		diesel multiple unit Diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...	75	120	Hired from Anglia Railways Anglia Railways Anglia Railways was a British train operating company, owned by GB Railways, which between 5 January 1997 and 31 March 2004 operated mainline trains out of London Liverpool Street station and a number of local rail services in East Anglia.... *	-	1984–1987
Class 153 British Rail Class 153 The British Rail Class 153 Super Sprinter is a single car diesel multiple unit converted from British Rail Class 155s.-Description:These units were originally built as two-car Class 155 units by British Leyland from 1987–88, but were converted by Hunslet-Barclay at Kilmarnock from 1991-92...		diesel multiple unit Diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...	75	120	Hired from Anglia Railways Anglia Railways Anglia Railways was a British train operating company, owned by GB Railways, which between 5 January 1997 and 31 March 2004 operated mainline trains out of London Liverpool Street station and a number of local rail services in East Anglia.... *	-	1987-1988
Class 312 British Rail Class 312 The British Rail Class 312 is a type of alternating current electric multiple unit built in 1975-1978 for use on outer-suburban passenger services. It was the last class of multiple unit to be constructed with the British Rail Mark 2 bodyshell, and also the last with slam doors...		electric multiple unit Electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...	90	145	24	- - - and (peak times only)	1975-1978
Class 315 British Rail Class 315 British Rail Class 315 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL at York works from 1980 to 1981. They were the fifth and final variety of British Rail's then-standard 1972 design for suburban EMUs, which eventually encompassed 755 vehicles and five Classes...		electric multiple unit Electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...	75	120	43	- and -	1980-1981
Class 321 British Rail Class 321 The British Rail Class 321 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL York in three batches from 1988-91. The design was successful and led to the development of the similar Class 320 and Class 322 units for use by Strathclyde PTE and Stansted Express respectively...		electric multiple unit Electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...	100	160	77	- , , , , , - (Sundays only)	1988-1991
Class 360 Desiro British Rail Class 360 The British Rail Class 360 electric multiple units were built by Siemens in two sub-types from 2002-2003 and 2004-2005. These units are part of the Siemens Desiro family.The Siemens "Desiro UK" family also includes units of Classes 185, 350, 380, 444 and 450....		electric multiple unit Electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...	100	160	21	- and - (peak times only)	2002–2003

• A diesel multiple unit
  Diesel multiple unit
  A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
  
   (DMU), was used on the Sudbury
  Sudbury railway station
  Sudbury railway station is a railway station serving the town of Sudbury in Suffolk, England. It is the single-platform northern terminus of the Gainsborough Line, and is managed by National Express East Anglia, who provide all train services. The station is located on the edge of the town...
  
  -Marks Tey
  Marks Tey railway station
  Marks Tey is a railway station serving the village of Marks Tey in Essex, England. The station is located on the Great Eastern Main Line and is also a junction for the Sudbury Branch Line.The station is served by National Express East Anglia...
  
   branch line due to the lack of electrification, a Class 150 Sprinter
  British Rail Class 150
  The British Rail Class 150 "Sprinter" diesel multiple units were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier first-generation "Heritage" DMUs.- Background :...
  
  , was used on weekdays and a Class 153 Sprinter
  British Rail Class 153
  The British Rail Class 153 Super Sprinter is a single car diesel multiple unit converted from British Rail Class 155s.-Description:These units were originally built as two-car Class 155 units by British Leyland from 1987–88, but were converted by Hunslet-Barclay at Kilmarnock from 1991-92...
  
   at weekends. This was an unspecified unit from the Anglia Railways
  Anglia Railways
  Anglia Railways was a British train operating company, owned by GB Railways, which between 5 January 1997 and 31 March 2004 operated mainline trains out of London Liverpool Street station and a number of local rail services in East Anglia....
  
  fleet based at Norwich, swapped daily.