Greater Anglia

Greater Anglia is the trading name of Transport UK East Anglia Limited, a train operating company that runs commuter and inter-city services from London's Liverpool Street station to Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, and parts of Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. It also operates regional routes throughout East Anglia. The company, a joint venture between Transport UK Group and Mitsui & Co., has been a key player in the region's rail network since 2012. The franchise was first awarded to Abellio, which took over from National Express on 4 February 2012. Initially trading as Greater Anglia, the company rebranded to Abellio Greater Anglia in December 2013. Under Abellio's management, the operator launched several improvement projects, including procuring new trains and the 'Norwich in 90' program to cut travel times. In May 2015, suburban services were transferred to London Overground and TfL Rail, leaving Greater Anglia to focus on longer-distance and regional routes. The franchise was retendered and won by Abellio in August 2016, with the company resuming the Greater Anglia name on 16 October 2016. In January 2017, Abellio agreed to sell a 40% stake to Mitsui, a deal completed in March 2017. This brought Japanese planning tools into the operation, though trade unions objected to some changes, leading to industrial action in 2017 and 2018. In December 2024, the government announced that Greater Anglia would be among the first operators brought back into state ownership under its rail renationalisation plan. The transition happened on 12 October 2025, when the new operator, also named Greater Anglia, took over services.[edit]