Greater Anglia invited people from in and around Clacton to come aboard one of their new trains to help people travel with confidence.

Monday the 23rd of May saw Greater Anglia host the ‘Give the Train a Try’ event as part of their ‘Community Rail Week‘. The event gave people the chance to have a look around the rail operator’s brand-new Alstom train to see the new layout and facilities onboard.

The brand new electric commuter train arrived on platform 4 at 10.15am and stopped until 2 pm with local school children enjoying a visit at 11am following which the public was invited to come along and explore the new train’s features such as more seating, dedicated cycle areas, accessible toilets, accessible seating area with room for family and friends and roomy wheelchair spaces which are clearly signed from outside the train.

The new trains are environmentally friendly with their energy-efficient and aerodynamic design alongside regenerative braking which returns energy back to the electrical supply network instead of wasting the power in heat as conventional braking systems do.

The event was organised by the Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership and Greater Anglia. Community Rail Week which runs from the 23rd to the 29th of May has been organised by the Community Rail Network and sponsored by Rail Delivery Group.

The ‘Give the Train a Try’ initiative hopes to encourage people to try out rail travel by increasing confidence, helping shift people to greener journeys and reducing traffic and pollution as the country recovers from the pandemic.

Jayne Sumner, Rail Engagement Manager for the Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership, said: “We’re delighted to work with Greater Anglia to have one of their brand-new trains standing at Clacton for people to come and see the transformation in terms of comfort and accessibility.

“We hope that people who have not used the train before, have not yet seen one of the new trains, or people with accessibility needs will come along and have a look round the train to see how its improved features might help them to use rail safely and confidently.”

Jools Townsend, chief executive of Community Rail Network, said: “Community rail partnerships and station volunteer groups across Britain – including the many in the Anglian region – have long played a vital role engaging local groups, young people and families to boost rail travel awareness and confidence, increase access to opportunity, and break down barriers. It’s increasingly important for environmental reasons too, to reduce local traffic and pollution and help tackle the climate emergency.”

“Community Rail Week aims to shine a light on our growing grassroots movement working tirelessly alongside our railway partners, and get the message out to more people about the benefits of rail travel. More than 70 activities are taking place nationwide, and it’s fantastic to see this important initiative coming to Clacton’s sunny shores – raising awareness and exploring how we can enable and empower more people to feel confident and able to travel by train.”