When a number of c2c employees gathered on London Fenchurch Street to watch one of the new Class 720 pull into the station, one of their former colleagues was quite unprepared for what he was about to see.

Julian Drury, the former Managing Director of c2c, had travelled to the station to see the new unit arrive and was overwhelmed when he realised it had been named after him.

Drury retired from the Trenitalia-owned company in 2020 after 12 years of service.

c2c operates services between London Fenchurch Street, Liverpool Street and south-east Essex serving destinations including Southend and Shoeburyness.

The new five-carriage British-built trains will increase capacity across the route. They can be run as five-carriage trains or coupled together to form a ten-carriage unit. More seats are available, power and USB sockets are available at every seat and both air conditioning and Wi-Fi have been improved. Open gangways allow customers to walk between carriages and have improved accessibility features. Toilets are also provided on every trains and there are dedicated cycle spaces. Driver training is also expected to progress over the coming months.

Julian Drury said: “I was very surprised to arrive this morning to find my name on the first of the 720s; I feel tremendously honoured. This is a very important step for c2c and its customers. The trains look stunning and are the best fleet that I’ve seen in the UK. It’s wonderful that we’ve got them here to serve our South Essex customers.”

c2c’s Managing Director, Rob Mullen, added: “It was a fantastic day for c2c and we’re so pleased to have brought in our new Class 720’s, which our customers will see the real benefit of.  Everyone has played a part in making sure these trains are in service and, of course, we give our thanks to Porterbrook and Alstom, our partners, the Department for Transport and Network Rail for making this happen,” he added.

Alstom UK and Ireland Managing Director, Nick Crossfield, said: “We’re delighted that the new fleet of Class 720 Aventra trains, which were designed and built in Derby, are now being introduced into passenger service. Working in partnership with c2c, we’ve delivered a fantastic product which will provide c2c passengers with a next generation, reliable, modern and comfortable train.”

Porterbrook’s Chief Operating Officer, Ben Ackroyd, said: “We’re pleased to have worked with c2c and Alstom to deliver the new Aventra units that will serve c2c’s passengers well for many years to come. Attending the launch event, it was good to see so many great reactions from c2c’s customers and staff. Congratulations to everyone involved in reaching this important milestone.”

c2c’s Operations & Engineering Director, Laura McEwen added: “What an achievement! The teams across the whole of c2c have worked tirelessly to make this happen. I’m so proud of the fact that not only have we started running these trains in passenger service, but we’ve also had a special train named after our former Managing Director, Julian Drury, who is very close to our hearts.”