As a Suffolk-born Londoner I've made the journey to/from Ipswich hundreds of times and I have to say, I think the new 745s *are* better then the old loco-hauled stock. People are fond of the old Mk3 coaches and they were comfortable and quiet, but with their age they had an air of "Yeah, this is a train, what more do you expect?". A lot can go wrong with new trains - seats with no view (Pendolinos), seats with no comfort (GWR class 800s / Thameslink class 700s), noise and vibration (class 220s/221s), stuffy and claustrophobic interiors (Pendolinos again!!) - the FLIRTs have managed to avoid all of those pitfalls, so Stadler and GA deserve huge praise for that. The door configuration is odd for an intercity train and it would have been nice to have the doors at each end of the coaches with dividing doors to the vestibules, but honestly it's not that big a deal as the trains are so quiet anyway. Overall probably the best new intercity trains to hit the UK since privatisation.
Interesting viewpoint. I travelled on the Liverpool Street to Norwich in mid 2019 when it was still 90s and Mk3s. It was okay, but not the greatest Mk3 experience, and that was 1st class. In my experience it could have been that GA weren't giving them the attention they deserved as they were soon to be replaced. As for no views. The worst experience for me was on a GWR HST in Cornwall (pre the Castle sets). Busy train, got an aisle side airline seat. No window view, just a pillar, and because GWR like to squeeze the seats in I felt like the back of the seat in front was in my face. It was all but impossible to see out of any window due to the pillar and the forest of high backed seats. Luckily I was only going to Par. I'd have hated that seat all the way to Paddington. We've got the Stadler 777s waiting to be introduced in Merseyside. It will be interesting to see how they compare with other new builds.
Out of everything - I think these are a very worthy replacement of the loco-hauled Mk3 sets. They're accessible, they look good, they have good air con, they actually have a buffet car, they seem to be reliable. Just goes to show that not everyone moans about new trains for nostalgia sake - we just don't like having our old trains replaced with something that'll bring us worse comfort and no amenities for the next 40 years!
i'm fairly sure the door positions was there because it's a low-floor train and therefore cannot be in certain areas (especially where the raised seats are) but i dont think its that bad tbh
Thank you for another excellent review ! I use the Norwich line a lot, and you were unfortunate in riding in a 745/1 unit rather than the usual 745/0. Since Covid restrictions came in, the Bar/Cafe has been closed, but when working, the service was really good. You will have to go again ! I must agree with you, the Stadler units are really good, and 1st Class is excellent !
I had a ride on these back in September on all variants the intercity the regional and the Stansted express on the same journey as your doing I was very impressed with the units I think a lot of train builders could learn a lot from stadler
Hi Dylan! Another fun video. I agree with your assessment of the train. Very clean and modern. We could use similar rolling stock here in the good old USofA. It appears the seat pitch is a bit airplane-esque. Not a lot of room. Of course Amtrak coach has spoiled me, at least in that respect. Not so much in others. 😱 Looking forward to next Friday. Stay safe.
Excellent report Dylan. Isn't Norwich station beautiful! I did this journey (First class!) in the old stock and it was the most unpleasant journey Ive ever had, due I think, to the way the carriages are coupled. This looks like a vast improvement.
Unfortunately, I think that also contributes to one of the worst features of the FLIRT UK units, the view of the toilets from your seat. Turbostars are the same; I think the problem can only be avoided by having the doors at or near the carriage ends (mark 3 and mark 4 coaches, class 158s and class 800s are all good in this respect) and not towards the middle of the carriage. That means the doors probably need to be above the bogies, meaning the floor of the unit needs to be higher. Perhaps level access needs to be provided by raising the platforms rather than trying to lower the floor of the trains?
I love these videos. Favourite part of the week. I used to like the stainless steel Budd rolling stock. The seats could be rotated so they were always facing forward. If a family was travelling together a pair of seats could be rotated into facing seats. Very handy. I'm not sure if anyone does that now.
Travelled on a couple of them last August for a day trip to Norwich from London - was a Stansted Express unit on the way back and I booked First Class ... Overall nice trains, good comfortable seats with an efficient layout with OK window alignment. Sat near the motors on the way back and the tone was lovely.
I have watched a few of your videos on here and its good that you have been able get out on the Great Eastern Main Line. I have yet to travel on Greater Anglia's new units as my last train trip was from Ipswich to Stratford in Feb 2020
I live on that line and although I'm nostalgic for the locos and the slam door coaches, I can't say I miss their unreliability, or the broken aircon/heating. I'm a big fan of new stock.
Thanks, Dylan! Another magnificent trip report. When traveling by train, you always see magnificent, different and contrasting landscapes; a real lesson in geography. Otherwise, of course, I love modern trains, they are airy, comfortable, open to space. We immediately see when we get on the train that it is clean. I like large, airy spaces, open to space, where true light shines, where you feel like you are living. In short, the trains of the present, and I hope for the future.
Going from Norwich to London via Ely is even more interesting in terms of the changing geography from my experience. You pass through Thetford Forest and Breckland and then the landscape completely flattens as you cross the Fens from Ely to Cambridge, where you can see Ely's cathedral from miles away from the small city. Would definitely recommend this journey as an interesting alternative to the GEML route if you're into this sort of thing!
Nice review Dylan, Really enjoyed this one. For decades now the Great Eastern Mainline has had to make do with leftover WCML fleet, so good to see some decent investment in new trains.
I've been to Norwich before and the railway station is very nice. Also they are fantastic trains (I've only ridden the Class 755 (The 745's sister) however, they do look very modern and nice.
So glad you mentioned the Manningtree Station buffet, it's an awesome little place! I live about a 5 minute walk from there, and regularly pop in to grab some food! Great video, as always 😊
I'm glad you enjoyed the journey. I've not tried the FLIRTS on Anglia services yet, but have used FLIRTs several times in Switzerland. Always found them very comfortable. FLIRTS very similar to the Anglian ones are now running services from Basel and Zurich over the old Gotthard panoramic route to Bellinzona (maybe worth doing a trip report at some point in the future - it's an amazing section of line). Look forward to trying the Anglia FLIRTs once this wretched pandemic is over. EMUs, ICEs and Pendolinos are gradually taking over loco-hauled services all over Europe. Are they better? In some cases yes, but I must say I enjoy a trip behind a loco more and in Europe the older coaches always seem more spacious than, say, the Pendolinos. Thanks for a great video - always look forward to your trip reports.
Great video, and always good to see my local station (Norwich!) Notice the brickwork under the road bridge at Stowmarket. I've yet to use these new trains thanks to lockdown, but I made a video of the old Class 90 loco hauled service!
Nice video Dylan. The indicator boards inside the FLIRT coaches seem to give a lot more information and graphics than the boring text ones we have on the SWR 440's on the London Waterloo to Weymouth line locally. I would be interested to see more details of the new displays next time you see one please.
Thanks, Dylan, for your wonderful insight to the FLIRT takeover of Greater Anglia services. I never got to deepest East Anglia on my travels three years ago (closest I got was from Peterborough to Cambridge to London Liverpool Street). I noted the Crown Point depot which was managed by a late friend of mine who came downunder in the mid 1980s to show Victorian Railways Management how to upgrade their operations. Sadly, Peter passed away some years ago after a stint at managing North Yorkshire Moors Railway. I noted also the two Freightliner Class 86 units that I caught a quick glimpse of (without having my camera ready) at Harrow and Wealdstone one morning.(86604 was in the lead of an inbound freight that morning.) I would love to have sampled the 'brilliant' breakfast at Manningtree had I had additional time to visit Constable country. Your Class 745/1 is certainly preferable to the Class 317 I had from Cambridge to Liverpool Street. I did have a chuckle at the start when you challenged the road traffic outside Norwich station by walking against the 'red man'. "Transportation to the colonies for you, young man!"Thanks again for your forensic insight to the trains upon which you travel and the wonderful scenic interludes. Keep them coming and I look forward to next week's contribution. Cheers from Michael downunder.
The Stansted Express class 345 substitution ( and therefore no buffet, tables, or first class) seems to be a bit of a recurring thing - I was caught out by it at least five times. And to add to it, parked on a nearby platform at Liverpool Street was a 'Norwich' 345 working the Stansted Express.
Really nice looking station, and a very clean comfortable looking train. One of the things I love most about where I live is the names of towns and cities. I live in Connecticut, just outside of New Haven. In Connecticut we also have a Norwich (although we pronounce the w) and a Colchester. Neighboring Massachusetts has an Ipswich, famous for their clams. Yummy! Looks like you had a gorgeous day to travel. Nice blue sky and puffy clouds. Doesn't get any better. Stay well. Have you been able to get the covid vaccine yet? Be careful.
@TheRenaissanceman65 possibly it also reflected a desire to have familiar names in a totally new land. We also have lots of Native American names, Connecticut and Massachusetts in particular. I'm 73 and 2 weeks ago got my first jab. Another 2 weeks for the second. Sadly we have nothing compared to your NHS. Maybe someday. Stay well
Dylan, nice video shot in the summer. LoL. Makes me miss the UK even more! FLIRTS is my train. Beautiful interior. Would have liked to have seen the buffet or restaurant car. The seats are my kind of seats. They're very modern. Accept I hate placing my head on the back of them where other people have placed their head. The pandemic has changed that. Great price for the ticket. I will visit Norwich when I'm back in the UK.
NS (Dutch Railways) uses the FLIRT's as regional/commuter trains that stop everywhere. The main order went to CAF for what we call 'sprinters' but Stadler could supply faster so we ordered some extra trains from them
Great video. I'm a great fan of the FLIRTs having now ridden them in five countries, but never yet in my home country. I look forward to giving the Norwich ones a go once this lockdown is over. A quick question, if you don't mind. At one point you use a phone app to show the speed of the train. Which app was that?.
Interesting to see they purchase from Stadler. My office was across the road from the plant/office in Altenrhein, Switzerland. Were these build there or do they have a UK facility? Good work as always young man.
Other than the front ends of the trains and the length of the cars, they look very similar to the DMU FLIRT's used by the TEXRail line in Fort Worth, Texas. I've grown to love those cars and wish they could be used on other lines in the US.
I’ve had three trips where I’d paid for 1st class & a Stanstead Express set was put on instead. Just pop on their website & claim the difference back between standard & 1st. It is annoying especially when you want to work during the journey and there are no tables ☹️☹️
I travel to great yarmouth a few time a year unfortunately not last year due to covud but I did love the old trains there seats were comfortable in first class in the new train I did like the space is there first class in the new trains I hope to go after 8th may great video keep it up
Fab review...only just discovered your site...very interesting and informative. Any time you're round this way again you might care to review the Bittern Line which runs from Norwich to Sheringham. A thirtyodd mile run with some nice broadland views, a view of a 1920s restored GER station at Gunton and sea glimpses at East and West Runton. Terminating in Sheringham, North Norfolk's Premier Seaside Town, a few yards down the track is the volunteer-run North Norfolk Railway running steam trains and old diesel railbuses to Holt, some 5 to 6 miles away. Would defo make for a good review. Keep on trukkin or keep on trainin!
I actually quite like the Class 745 and Class 755 that Greater Anglia have ordered. And how Stadler manufactured these new trains. Plus the Class 720 Aventras have entered service on some services and more Class 720s are coming into service including on the West Anglia main line from March. I still like Greater Anglia because they listened to what the passengers wanted. And that is new trains on their network. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_745 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_755
Dylan, loved the video. It seems like the UK and Europe, are better with the train design and modernization than the USA. Loved the beginning, looked like you might of had to play frogger to get across the street.
Norwich is my home city,and its nice to get a view of the new trains as the last time we went to london village it was to go to the carnival in Nottingham hill.about 3 years ago now.we try to go every other year but obviously this year has been a waste of space.
Hi Dylan, it is a shame that you were unlucky enough to get a Stansted Express Stadler Class 745/1 Flirt EMU train with no First Class accommodation, no buffet counter and no fixed tables. Will you return to the InterCity Anglia route to try out a InterCity Anglia Stadler Class 745/0 Flirt EMU train? Best wishes and take care. Kind regards, Peter Skuce. St Albans. Hertfordshire.
quite decent trains, they are larger versions of the 3/4 car versions that do the local routes, try Ipswich to Norwich via Lowestoft on the East Suffolk line, quite a pleasant journey
I´ll have to remember that buffet in Manningtree for my possible next trip from the Netherlands to London and leave one extra hour in changing time passing in the morning.
The FLIRTS are excellent trains,well up to the standard of comfort expected of a modern Inter- city train,seems like the reliability issues which plagued these sets for the initial few months have largely been sorted
Try pushing the button at the crosswalk, then when the little green walking man illuminates magically he has stopped all the cars and you can cross easily..!
Great video greater anglia definitely made a good choice choosing these Swiss built stadler flirt trains for there intercity service aswell as the standard express and the smaller ones on the non electricified parts of there network the acceleration is quite fast and can get to 100mph quite quickly and you can walk through the whole interior these are definitely a good replacement for the old loco hauled stock that used to run on the line I cannot wait to sample these trains myself!
11:02 Plenty of luggage racks and people still put suitcases on seats... No wonder the seat covers get dirty and wear out! Hopefully I'll try one of these out when I next use the ferry to the Netherlands.
I recently travelled on a FLIRT from Norwich to London and found the ride very rough with hard sideways lurching. Sit near the doors away from the coach ends to reduce this.
I haven't rode the Flirts yet, hope to do so when everything is safe again. However I was born and brought up in Ipswich, before moving to Lincoln, and I regularly rode their Class 90 Loco hauled Mk3a trains. Yes they were old, and they creaked a lot, but they were really comfortable and well suited for long distance intercity style journeys. They were so comfy that you could always fall asleep on those trains, unfortunately including one time heading home from London and completely missed my stop! Ended up in Norwich. Lol. I think it's a huge shame that Greater Anglia, and some other train operators too, have gone down the road of using EMU's on Intercity services which I think are more suited to shorter Regional services. That being said, the Stadler Flirts certainly look WAAAY better than the Hitachi IET's in terms of onboard comfort.
I agree with you! I travel regularly on LNER's Azumas, Northern's 331's (both are new trains) and find them totally devoid of any character. The Azumas are now increasingly developing faults
@@rabd9881 pal, those seeds were sown long before now, you can blame beeching, and if you really want to go back, the other rail companies who resisted brunels broad gauge, companies who were concerned with making money rather than a better railway. Some things never change
The 745/1's are a wholly unnecessary addition, because they mean to replace the far better, less rigid 379 Electrostars. Send 'em back to Switzerland I say.
I'm not happy with the possibility that the 379s could go to waste*, but without the 745s, there wouldn't have been enough units for the electro-diesel 755s. Another upside of the 745/755 design is their level boarding, so at least there's a silver lining... (* matter of fact, I'm not happy about how a lot of good EMUs are probably going to waste. At least there's the recent "win" of 707s going to Southeastern, I guess...)
To me it is obvious the British railways are also trying to replace long-distance comfortable trains with commuter style regional trains. - Greeting, Heinz
Yes you are probably correct. It does seem that way. Either commuter style regional trains, or so-called advanced express trains which have been built cheaply and feel like they're falling apart as soon as they start service.
I'd say that the rolling stock is probably appropriate for this service, which would be equivalent to a Regional Express in Europe. Though it's obviously a downgrade from the previous intercity stock. What I don't get is why there are units without first class, it's not a local commuter service after all.
@UCZqGfRe9C_Rx9W5qiZTnd7w (I'll keep this up anyway, it took quite a while to write) So that's different to Germany then, where besides a few exeptions all regional and local trains have a first class compartment, even on branch line services. With regional express trains there's usually about 15% of seats dedicated to first class, which is only a little bit more expensive than second class. A distance like Liverpool Street to Norwich would actually be quite short for a Regional express here, where services can cover up to 180 miles with a top speed of 100 mph (and Intercitys generally being cross-country). Given the amount of stops inbetween the class of service does seem comparable to a Regional Express (including the rolling stock, aside from maybe the buffet car, though that was a thing in Germany up until about 20 years ago), whilst a continental intercity would have stopped maybe once inbetween and kept going to Birmingham or Exeter.
@@mikeblatzheim2797 You make a good point, the Greater Anglia longer distanced services offer a mix between more station stops and less, for example you will also find Norwich services with around 5 to 6 stops, thus more reflective of an Intercity service. Due to the complexity of the U.K. network, and the DfT wanting to make more town to capital connections, a lot of services that are long distanced do call at multiple station stops. You mentioned Cross Country, and again, that is similar in the sense that most Cross Country services do call at a range of station stops, and in many ways you could say the same about Avanti services between Glasgow and London, via Birmingham. It’s mostly due to the fact that they decided to build stations for smaller towns and local villages on Intercity track, a prime example of this would probably be stations like Adderley Park on the West Coast Mainline, which see plenty of local services utilising Intercity track to cater for the station, but all Intercity Avanti services speed through. Because Greater Anglia is somewhat of an elitist TOC for Anglia, they operate almost all of the local, regional and Intercity services. Because these companies wish to cater for an effective a connection as possible, many British Intercity services will call at a range of stops. With the West Coast Mainline South, they tried to model the operators so that you will have Birmingham to London frequent, regional style services which call at most stations on the route, combined with Avanti High Speed services that call at around 4-5 stations. Unfortunately, however, this model is a recipe for disruption as in some parts of the WCML and across a lot of Mainlines in the U.K., there are two or more operators utilising just one track in one direction. On the subject of these specific trains, again, I think these are most suitable for these journeys. The trains are fast accelerating, comfortable and not overwhelmed with ‘mod cons’, but still feature buffet cars, 12 spacious carriages with suitable seating, and some with First Class compartments and tables at each facing seat. As you rightly mentioned, even the longer distanced journeys on Greater Anglia are reflective of a regional service continentally. That’s why the Fast, Light, Intercity & Regional Train (FLIRT fleet), built to be a hybrid Intercity-Regional train, are most suitable. Stadler’s FLIRTs are some of the biggest train fleets in the world, by the way. The particular issue is that the fleet featured in the video is the 745/1, which are supposed to be the London - Stansted Express edition of the 745s. They do not have the First Class compartments and tables as they are not necessarily the most effective product for what is supposed to be an airport service (despite the fact that they’re using some of them on the Norwich services). It’s also why you see a more generous amount of luggage space. I would say, however, that the First Class product offered on other members of the 745 fleet is more of a Business Class. If you have ever travelled on Chiltern Railways you would probably recognise this style of upgrade. First Class is quite cost effective for GA Intercity services, but the only prominent features are additional armrests, thorough leather padding and more charging ports.
By the way Dylan. Could you let us know the name of the app you use to check the train speed please? I've looked everywhere myself and can't seem to find one! Thanks!
These trains are to me are somehow familiar and still foreign at the same time, since my local S-Bahn uses FLIRT EMUs as well. One notable difference to the ones I know is that there would be a second sets of doors just about where Dylan chose to sit down.
I know it might not apply in the same way to this specific service but I experienced a replacement of a locomotive hauled train by a Stadler KISS EMU a few years back on a regional line in Switzerland. The combination of modern low-floor design and good acceleration meant that even at peak commuter times, the train was able to keep to schedule much better, than before. So even though I felt like the comfort was a bit worse, the improved timeliness and reliability were an okay trade-off for me though I could see how this style of train doesn't really suit a service that used to have buffet cars and runs for over an hour end-to-end.
These FLIRT's look the business but you know what I'm going to say next Dylan - they will never be as good as the Mk3 carriages that plied the route behind class 90 locos
I travelled on one last year for the 1st time; was so looking forward to it but was extremely disappointed. Found it uncomfortable (both ride quality and seat comfort) and thought it was cramped
@@dave1001 Haven't travelled on GWR's class 800's, but do travel daily on LNER's class 800/801's - would imagine they're pretty similar in terms of seat "comfort" 🤔
I have to disagree. I travel from Aberdeen to London on the Azuma. I love that train. I find it comfortable, it’s suits my needs. Mind you, I always travel first class due to disabilities so a train without first class wouldn’t be that helpful right now. That having been said I’d still like to ride one just to see. I also wanted to say that the fact you travelled from Norwich brought back good memories as my family used to live in Norfolk. So I know Norwich well.
As a Suffolk-born Londoner I've made the journey to/from Ipswich hundreds of times and I have to say, I think the new 745s *are* better then the old loco-hauled stock. People are fond of the old Mk3 coaches and they were comfortable and quiet, but with their age they had an air of "Yeah, this is a train, what more do you expect?". A lot can go wrong with new trains - seats with no view (Pendolinos), seats with no comfort (GWR class 800s / Thameslink class 700s), noise and vibration (class 220s/221s), stuffy and claustrophobic interiors (Pendolinos again!!) - the FLIRTs have managed to avoid all of those pitfalls, so Stadler and GA deserve huge praise for that. The door configuration is odd for an intercity train and it would have been nice to have the doors at each end of the coaches with dividing doors to the vestibules, but honestly it's not that big a deal as the trains are so quiet anyway. Overall probably the best new intercity trains to hit the UK since privatisation.
Interesting viewpoint.
I travelled on the Liverpool Street to Norwich in mid 2019 when it was still 90s and Mk3s. It was okay, but not the greatest Mk3 experience, and that was 1st class. In my experience it could have been that GA weren't giving them the attention they deserved as they were soon to be replaced.
As for no views. The worst experience for me was on a GWR HST in Cornwall (pre the Castle sets). Busy train, got an aisle side airline seat. No window view, just a pillar, and because GWR like to squeeze the seats in I felt like the back of the seat in front was in my face. It was all but impossible to see out of any window due to the pillar and the forest of high backed seats. Luckily I was only going to Par. I'd have hated that seat all the way to Paddington.
We've got the Stadler 777s waiting to be introduced in Merseyside. It will be interesting to see how they compare with other new builds.
Out of everything - I think these are a very worthy replacement of the loco-hauled Mk3 sets. They're accessible, they look good, they have good air con, they actually have a buffet car, they seem to be reliable. Just goes to show that not everyone moans about new trains for nostalgia sake - we just don't like having our old trains replaced with something that'll bring us worse comfort and no amenities for the next 40 years!
@@Nice_Person7379 What's wrong with them?
i'm fairly sure the door positions was there because it's a low-floor train and therefore cannot be in certain areas (especially where the raised seats are) but i dont think its that bad tbh
Gorgeous day, shiny new stock- thank you for a lovely outing!
It's nice they announce connecting services....
Is it the same announcement from the class 321 trains
Reminds me of Deutsche Bahn :)
5:40 Diss is our first stop - Jürgen making a tourist tour in Berlin 😅😂
🤣🤣🤣
Thank you for another excellent review ! I use the Norwich line a lot, and you were unfortunate in riding in a 745/1 unit rather than the usual 745/0. Since Covid restrictions came in, the Bar/Cafe has been closed, but when working, the service was really good. You will have to go again ! I must agree with you, the Stadler units are really good, and 1st Class is excellent !
I had a ride on these back in September on all variants the intercity the regional and the Stansted express on the same journey as your doing I was very impressed with the units I think a lot of train builders could learn a lot from stadler
Hi Dylan! Another fun video. I agree with your assessment of the train. Very clean and modern. We could use similar rolling stock here in the good old USofA. It appears the seat pitch is a bit airplane-esque. Not a lot of room. Of course Amtrak coach has spoiled me, at least in that respect. Not so much in others. 😱 Looking forward to next Friday. Stay safe.
Thanks! I believe Texas may have some FLIRTs.
Excellent report Dylan. Isn't Norwich station beautiful! I did this journey (First class!) in the old stock and it was the most unpleasant journey Ive ever had, due I think, to the way the carriages are coupled. This looks like a vast improvement.
Nice one , my home town, and station where i work, for Abelio's sister company .
The best feature IMO is the level access provided due to the low floors and automatic ramp on the train.
You only do that twice on a trip and it only lasts a couple of seconds,
@@johnp139 its pretty important for people with limited mobility
Unfortunately, I think that also contributes to one of the worst features of the FLIRT UK units, the view of the toilets from your seat. Turbostars are the same; I think the problem can only be avoided by having the doors at or near the carriage ends (mark 3 and mark 4 coaches, class 158s and class 800s are all good in this respect) and not towards the middle of the carriage. That means the doors probably need to be above the bogies, meaning the floor of the unit needs to be higher. Perhaps level access needs to be provided by raising the platforms rather than trying to lower the floor of the trains?
Just found this video very useful when planning a return route following a camping trip in East Anglia, thanks.
I love these videos. Favourite part of the week.
I used to like the stainless steel Budd rolling stock. The seats could be rotated so they were always facing forward. If a family was travelling together a pair of seats could be rotated into facing seats. Very handy. I'm not sure if anyone does that now.
Great looking train, very quiet ride, not much noise. As usual nice trip report. Thanks for letting me tag along.
Really good review of my part of the world thanks! If possible a review of 1st class when available would be really interesting.
Great video mate. The 745 flints are amazing. 😍😍😃😃👏👏👏👌👌👍
Thanks!
Travelled on a couple of them last August for a day trip to Norwich from London - was a Stansted Express unit on the way back and I booked First Class ...
Overall nice trains, good comfortable seats with an efficient layout with OK window alignment. Sat near the motors on the way back and the tone was lovely.
Great Review of the Class 745!! It looks perfectly clean and nice 😁
I have watched a few of your videos on here and its good that you have been able get out on the Great Eastern Main Line. I have yet to travel on Greater Anglia's new units as my last train trip was from Ipswich to Stratford in Feb 2020
Looks like a nice clean new train nice and modern, Another great vid
Thanks 😁
ive seen superalbs travel on ths train and i am happy for you to do ur own review on this train :D
Edit: You did this journey on my BIRTHDAY
I live on that line and although I'm nostalgic for the locos and the slam door coaches, I can't say I miss their unreliability, or the broken aircon/heating. I'm a big fan of new stock.
Good one Dylan, lots of good information. Thanks for sharing and stay safe.😷
Thanks, Dylan! Another magnificent trip report. When traveling by train, you always see magnificent, different and contrasting landscapes; a real lesson in geography. Otherwise, of course, I love modern trains, they are airy, comfortable, open to space. We immediately see when we get on the train that it is clean. I like large, airy spaces, open to space, where true light shines, where you feel like you are living. In short, the trains of the present, and I hope for the future.
Going from Norwich to London via Ely is even more interesting in terms of the changing geography from my experience. You pass through Thetford Forest and Breckland and then the landscape completely flattens as you cross the Fens from Ely to Cambridge, where you can see Ely's cathedral from miles away from the small city. Would definitely recommend this journey as an interesting alternative to the GEML route if you're into this sort of thing!
Hi Dylan, good to see you in my part of the world. Take care and stay safem
Another nice video. And you had really nice weather.
Nice review Dylan, Really enjoyed this one. For decades now the Great Eastern Mainline has had to make do with leftover WCML fleet, so good to see some decent investment in new trains.
Glad you enjoyed 😁
Great video, nice looking train.
Thanks!
I've been to Norwich before and the railway station is very nice. Also they are fantastic trains (I've only ridden the Class 755 (The 745's sister) however, they do look very modern and nice.
So glad you mentioned the Manningtree Station buffet, it's an awesome little place! I live about a 5 minute walk from there, and regularly pop in to grab some food! Great video, as always 😊
Thanks!
I'm glad you enjoyed the journey. I've not tried the FLIRTS on Anglia services yet, but have used FLIRTs several times in Switzerland. Always found them very comfortable. FLIRTS very similar to the Anglian ones are now running services from Basel and Zurich over the old Gotthard panoramic route to Bellinzona (maybe worth doing a trip report at some point in the future - it's an amazing section of line). Look forward to trying the Anglia FLIRTs once this wretched pandemic is over. EMUs, ICEs and Pendolinos are gradually taking over loco-hauled services all over Europe. Are they better? In some cases yes, but I must say I enjoy a trip behind a loco more and in Europe the older coaches always seem more spacious than, say, the Pendolinos. Thanks for a great video - always look forward to your trip reports.
Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for sharing your views 😁
Locomotive hauled trains just seem to have more character to them. They look cooler
Nice video and train as well.
Good job 👌!
They are beautiful things.
un confort pas mal un calme aussi un esthétique de la rame superbe
Looks like it was a very smooth and quiet ride track and train wise. And fast.
Another good one, thanks Dylan.
A very enjoyable train ride, thanks.
Great video, and always good to see my local station (Norwich!) Notice the brickwork under the road bridge at Stowmarket. I've yet to use these new trains thanks to lockdown, but I made a video of the old Class 90 loco hauled service!
Thanks!
Cant wait to try them out!! Fantastic Vid!!!!
Nice video Dylan. The indicator boards inside the FLIRT coaches seem to give a lot more information and graphics than the boring text ones we have on the SWR 440's on the London Waterloo to Weymouth line locally. I would be interested to see more details of the new displays next time you see one please.
Thanks!
great video dylan thank you.
Thanks, Dylan, for your wonderful insight to the FLIRT takeover of Greater Anglia services. I never got to deepest East Anglia on my travels three years ago (closest I got was from Peterborough to Cambridge to London Liverpool Street). I noted the Crown Point depot which was managed by a late friend of mine who came downunder in the mid 1980s to show Victorian Railways Management how to upgrade their operations. Sadly, Peter passed away some years ago after a stint at managing North Yorkshire Moors Railway. I noted also the two Freightliner Class 86 units that I caught a quick glimpse of (without having my camera ready) at Harrow and Wealdstone one morning.(86604 was in the lead of an inbound freight that morning.) I would love to have sampled the 'brilliant' breakfast at Manningtree had I had additional time to visit Constable country. Your Class 745/1 is certainly preferable to the Class 317 I had from Cambridge to Liverpool Street. I did have a chuckle at the start when you challenged the road traffic outside Norwich station by walking against the 'red man'. "Transportation to the colonies for you, young man!"Thanks again for your forensic insight to the trains upon which you travel and the wonderful scenic interludes. Keep them coming and I look forward to next week's contribution. Cheers from Michael downunder.
The Stansted Express class 345 substitution ( and therefore no buffet, tables, or first class) seems to be a bit of a recurring thing - I was caught out by it at least five times. And to add to it, parked on a nearby platform at Liverpool Street was a 'Norwich' 345 working the Stansted Express.
Really nice looking station, and a very clean comfortable looking train. One of the things I love most about where I live is the names of towns and cities. I live in Connecticut, just outside of New Haven. In Connecticut we also have a Norwich (although we pronounce the w) and a Colchester. Neighboring Massachusetts has an Ipswich, famous for their clams. Yummy! Looks like you had a gorgeous day to travel. Nice blue sky and puffy clouds. Doesn't get any better. Stay well. Have you been able to get the covid vaccine yet? Be careful.
@TheRenaissanceman65 possibly it also reflected a desire to have familiar names in a totally new land. We also have lots of Native American names, Connecticut and Massachusetts in particular.
I'm 73 and 2 weeks ago got my first jab. Another 2 weeks for the second. Sadly we have nothing compared to your NHS. Maybe someday. Stay well
Dylan, nice video shot in the summer. LoL. Makes me miss the UK even more! FLIRTS is my train. Beautiful interior. Would have liked to have seen the buffet or restaurant car. The seats are my kind of seats. They're very modern. Accept I hate placing my head on the back of them where other people have placed their head. The pandemic has changed that. Great price for the ticket. I will visit Norwich when I'm back in the UK.
NS (Dutch Railways) uses the FLIRT's as regional/commuter trains that stop everywhere. The main order went to CAF for what we call 'sprinters' but Stadler could supply faster so we ordered some extra trains from them
Greater Anglia have the regional 755 three and four coach trains too, for the less busy local lines. Superb trains in my opinion.
Great video !!
Thanks!
Thank you Dylan!!! ;-)
Can vouch for the Manningtree fry up.
Another good review
Great video. I'm a great fan of the FLIRTs having now ridden them in five countries, but never yet in my home country. I look forward to giving the Norwich ones a go once this lockdown is over.
A quick question, if you don't mind. At one point you use a phone app to show the speed of the train. Which app was that?.
There are several available on Google play store
Looked like a nice comfortable ride.
Interesting to see they purchase from Stadler. My office was across the road from the plant/office in Altenrhein, Switzerland. Were these build there or do they have a UK facility? Good work as always young man.
Built in Switzerland -- Bussnang (Weinfelden)
Beautiful looking train.
looks like a nice train quick trip also enjoy yourself mate cheers
Wow brilliant mate love it 😊👍🏻
Thanks!
@@DylansTravelReports your welcome
@@DylansTravelReports next time can you do Norwich around the station please
Hi Dylan I enjoyed the video. Will you be showing overnight train trip video? Too bad there,s no cafe car in the train.
Thanks! I'll be releasing another sleeper video in March 😁
Good report
That crossing to the station is always a bit of a pain it takes ages for the lights to change
It helps to press the button, though!
@@andrewrobinson7641 I do but it still takes ages, unless they've changed it since I was there last in 2019
Other than the front ends of the trains and the length of the cars, they look very similar to the DMU FLIRT's used by the TEXRail line in Fort Worth, Texas. I've grown to love those cars and wish they could be used on other lines in the US.
I’ve had three trips where I’d paid for 1st class & a Stanstead Express set was put on instead. Just pop on their website & claim the difference back between standard & 1st. It is annoying especially when you want to work during the journey and there are no tables ☹️☹️
I travel to great yarmouth a few time a year unfortunately not last year due to covud but I did love the old trains there seats were comfortable in first class in the new train I did like the space is there first class in the new trains I hope to go after 8th may great video keep it up
Fab review...only just discovered your site...very interesting and informative. Any time you're round this way again you might care to review the Bittern Line which runs from Norwich to Sheringham. A thirtyodd mile run with some nice broadland views, a view of a 1920s restored GER station at Gunton and sea glimpses at East and West Runton. Terminating in Sheringham, North Norfolk's Premier Seaside Town, a few yards down the track is the volunteer-run North Norfolk Railway running steam trains and old diesel railbuses to Holt, some 5 to 6 miles away. Would defo make for a good review. Keep on trukkin or keep on trainin!
Thanks a lot 🙂
I actually quite like the Class 745 and Class 755 that Greater Anglia have ordered. And how Stadler manufactured these new trains. Plus the Class 720 Aventras have entered service on some services and more Class 720s are coming into service including on the West Anglia main line from March. I still like Greater Anglia because they listened to what the passengers wanted. And that is new trains on their network.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_745
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_755
Dylan, loved the video. It seems like the UK and Europe, are better with the train design and modernization than the USA. Loved the beginning, looked like you might of had to play frogger to get across the street.
these are my local trains, but I miss the 90s and sadly I wasn’t around at the time of anglia 86s
And class 156 class 170 class 37 class 153
@@jordanstrains618 those were good too
@@lamborghinihexagons5502 I know buddy but it’s nice to have new ones
Norwich is my home city,and its nice to get a view of the new trains as the last time we went to london village it was to go to the carnival in Nottingham hill.about 3 years ago now.we try to go every other year but obviously this year has been a waste of space.
Thank for sharing, I enjoyed the journey and all the info. 👍
Hi Dylan, it is a shame that you were unlucky enough to get a Stansted Express Stadler Class 745/1 Flirt EMU train with no First Class accommodation, no buffet counter and no fixed tables. Will you return to the InterCity Anglia route to try out a InterCity Anglia Stadler Class 745/0 Flirt EMU train?
Best wishes and take care. Kind regards, Peter Skuce. St Albans. Hertfordshire.
I might do.
Nice vedio . Thanks
at least the train was calling at Chelmsford, my home town. :)
These are amazing trains, probably the best new trains
5:38 DISS is our first Stop of the day... hahaha
He should've put bredren on the end of that.
@@nathanwulf Bredern?
And "Dat" was our second stop of the day.
quite decent trains, they are larger versions of the 3/4 car versions that do the local routes, try Ipswich to Norwich via Lowestoft on the East Suffolk line, quite a pleasant journey
Are you FLIRTing with us?
Nach ein FLIRT folgt ein KISS ( after a FLIRT a KISS wil follow ) Both are trainsets of Stadler .
@@koppijn1234: Don't forget that it ends with a SMILE...
Really awesome!
I´ll have to remember that buffet in Manningtree for my possible next trip from the Netherlands to London and leave one extra hour in changing time passing in the morning.
That's what I did after getting off the ferry 😁
The FLIRTS are excellent trains,well up to the standard of comfort expected of a modern Inter- city train,seems like the reliability issues which plagued these sets for the initial few months have largely been sorted
Try pushing the button at the crosswalk, then when the little green walking man illuminates magically he has stopped all the cars and you can cross easily..!
Great video greater anglia definitely made a good choice choosing these Swiss built stadler flirt trains for there intercity service aswell as the standard express and the smaller ones on the non electricified parts of there network the acceleration is quite fast and can get to 100mph quite quickly and you can walk through the whole interior these are definitely a good replacement for the old loco hauled stock that used to run on the line I cannot wait to sample these trains myself!
Thanks!
@@DylansTravelReports no problem
Nice video m8. Could you do the class 334 at some point?
Maybe at some point.
11:02 Plenty of luggage racks and people still put suitcases on seats... No wonder the seat covers get dirty and wear out! Hopefully I'll try one of these out when I next use the ferry to the Netherlands.
Grear video 😎👍🏽 They certainly have a better interior than the Hitachi IEP 😀👍🏽
I recently travelled on a FLIRT from Norwich to London and found the ride very rough with hard sideways lurching. Sit near the doors away from the coach ends to reduce this.
Great video as always!! Are you going to made a trip report on the train operated by Grand Central?
Thanks! I'll be releasing a review in GC in a couple of weeks 😁
I haven't rode the Flirts yet, hope to do so when everything is safe again. However I was born and brought up in Ipswich, before moving to Lincoln, and I regularly rode their Class 90 Loco hauled Mk3a trains. Yes they were old, and they creaked a lot, but they were really comfortable and well suited for long distance intercity style journeys. They were so comfy that you could always fall asleep on those trains, unfortunately including one time heading home from London and completely missed my stop! Ended up in Norwich. Lol.
I think it's a huge shame that Greater Anglia, and some other train operators too, have gone down the road of using EMU's on Intercity services which I think are more suited to shorter Regional services. That being said, the Stadler Flirts certainly look WAAAY better than the Hitachi IET's in terms of onboard comfort.
Whatever problems the old class 90 set had, it made going to London more of an event. These make it feel like an unpleasant commute. A shame
That’s the old fashioned mentality that has caused us to be streets behind other countries in terms of rail. Cleanse yourself of it
I agree with you! I travel regularly on LNER's Azumas, Northern's 331's (both are new trains) and find them totally devoid of any character. The Azumas are now increasingly developing faults
Yes, there was a sense of occasion in arriving in one of the older trains.
The 800s have nearly as much occasion though
@@rabd9881 pal, those seeds were sown long before now, you can blame beeching, and if you really want to go back, the other rail companies who resisted brunels broad gauge, companies who were concerned with making money rather than a better railway. Some things never change
Norwich is a very nice place to go for a holiday
Nice review!
Thanks 😁
@@DylansTravelReports No worries! 👍
Very interesting. Thank you! Can I ask ... what do you normally do for work / study and have you ever considered becoming a full time RUclipsr? 🤔
Thanks! I am a full time RUclipsr 😁
@@DylansTravelReports Oh wow. That’s awesome. 😊
The 745/1's are a wholly unnecessary addition, because they mean to replace the far better, less rigid 379 Electrostars.
Send 'em back to Switzerland I say.
I'm not happy with the possibility that the 379s could go to waste*, but without the 745s, there wouldn't have been enough units for the electro-diesel 755s. Another upside of the 745/755 design is their level boarding, so at least there's a silver lining...
(* matter of fact, I'm not happy about how a lot of good EMUs are probably going to waste. At least there's the recent "win" of 707s going to Southeastern, I guess...)
To me it is obvious the British railways are also trying to replace long-distance comfortable trains with commuter style regional trains. - Greeting, Heinz
Yes you are probably correct. It does seem that way. Either commuter style regional trains, or so-called advanced express trains which have been built cheaply and feel like they're falling apart as soon as they start service.
I'd say that the rolling stock is probably appropriate for this service, which would be equivalent to a Regional Express in Europe. Though it's obviously a downgrade from the previous intercity stock. What I don't get is why there are units without first class, it's not a local commuter service after all.
FLIRT = Fast, light, Intercity and Regional Train.
@UCZqGfRe9C_Rx9W5qiZTnd7w
(I'll keep this up anyway, it took quite a while to write)
So that's different to Germany then, where besides a few exeptions all regional and local trains have a first class compartment, even on branch line services. With regional express trains there's usually about 15% of seats dedicated to first class, which is only a little bit more expensive than second class.
A distance like Liverpool Street to Norwich would actually be quite short for a Regional express here, where services can cover up to 180 miles with a top speed of 100 mph (and Intercitys generally being cross-country). Given the amount of stops inbetween the class of service does seem comparable to a Regional Express (including the rolling stock, aside from maybe the buffet car, though that was a thing in Germany up until about 20 years ago), whilst a continental intercity would have stopped maybe once inbetween and kept going to Birmingham or Exeter.
@@mikeblatzheim2797 You make a good point, the Greater Anglia longer distanced services offer a mix between more station stops and less, for example you will also find Norwich services with around 5 to 6 stops, thus more reflective of an Intercity service. Due to the complexity of the U.K. network, and the DfT wanting to make more town to capital connections, a lot of services that are long distanced do call at multiple station stops. You mentioned Cross Country, and again, that is similar in the sense that most Cross Country services do call at a range of station stops, and in many ways you could say the same about Avanti services between Glasgow and London, via Birmingham. It’s mostly due to the fact that they decided to build stations for smaller towns and local villages on Intercity track, a prime example of this would probably be stations like Adderley Park on the West Coast Mainline, which see plenty of local services utilising Intercity track to cater for the station, but all Intercity Avanti services speed through. Because Greater Anglia is somewhat of an elitist TOC for Anglia, they operate almost all of the local, regional and Intercity services. Because these companies wish to cater for an effective a connection as possible, many British Intercity services will call at a range of stops.
With the West Coast Mainline South, they tried to model the operators so that you will have Birmingham to London frequent, regional style services which call at most stations on the route, combined with Avanti High Speed services that call at around 4-5 stations. Unfortunately, however, this model is a recipe for disruption as in some parts of the WCML and across a lot of Mainlines in the U.K., there are two or more operators utilising just one track in one direction.
On the subject of these specific trains, again, I think these are most suitable for these journeys. The trains are fast accelerating, comfortable and not overwhelmed with ‘mod cons’, but still feature buffet cars, 12 spacious carriages with suitable seating, and some with First Class compartments and tables at each facing seat. As you rightly mentioned, even the longer distanced journeys on Greater Anglia are reflective of a regional service continentally. That’s why the Fast, Light, Intercity & Regional Train (FLIRT fleet), built to be a hybrid Intercity-Regional train, are most suitable. Stadler’s FLIRTs are some of the biggest train fleets in the world, by the way. The particular issue is that the fleet featured in the video is the 745/1, which are supposed to be the London - Stansted Express edition of the 745s. They do not have the First Class compartments and tables as they are not necessarily the most effective product for what is supposed to be an airport service (despite the fact that they’re using some of them on the Norwich services). It’s also why you see a more generous amount of luggage space. I would say, however, that the First Class product offered on other members of the 745 fleet is more of a Business Class. If you have ever travelled on Chiltern Railways you would probably recognise this style of upgrade. First Class is quite cost effective for GA Intercity services, but the only prominent features are additional armrests, thorough leather padding and more charging ports.
How do you think it would cope in full flow rush hour peak trains?
Nice ❤️❤️❤️
A.clean, comfortable ride. No complaints. Like electric. Environmentally much more friendly then diesel.
By the way Dylan. Could you let us know the name of the app you use to check the train speed please? I've looked everywhere myself and can't seem to find one! Thanks!
These trains are to me are somehow familiar and still foreign at the same time, since my local S-Bahn uses FLIRT EMUs as well. One notable difference to the ones I know is that there would be a second sets of doors just about where Dylan chose to sit down.
I know it might not apply in the same way to this specific service but I experienced a replacement of a locomotive hauled train by a Stadler KISS EMU a few years back on a regional line in Switzerland. The combination of modern low-floor design and good acceleration meant that even at peak commuter times, the train was able to keep to schedule much better, than before. So even though I felt like the comfort was a bit worse, the improved timeliness and reliability were an okay trade-off for me though I could see how this style of train doesn't really suit a service that used to have buffet cars and runs for over an hour end-to-end.
I love Stadlers names
You finally flushed a toilet! Awesome 👍
What do you think about the new trains
Nice video I really like the flirt it’s so comfortable and smooth and you just get to destination quick
These FLIRT's look the business but you know what I'm going to say next Dylan - they will never be as good as the Mk3 carriages that plied the route behind class 90 locos
I travelled on one last year for the 1st time; was so looking forward to it but was extremely disappointed. Found it uncomfortable (both ride quality and seat comfort) and thought it was cramped
@@jimmenycricket4598 Try riding on the GWR class 800's the seats on those are really hard - best use for those seats is to to do your ironing on lol
@@dave1001 Haven't travelled on GWR's class 800's, but do travel daily on LNER's class 800/801's - would imagine they're pretty similar in terms of seat "comfort" 🤔
@@dave1001 the 800 and 91 seats are rock hard
A incredible review. I would prefer to travel on these compared to the azuma. Do you have any other English train reviews coming soon?
I have to disagree. I travel from Aberdeen to London on the Azuma. I love that train. I find it comfortable, it’s suits my needs. Mind you, I always travel first class due to disabilities so a train without first class wouldn’t be that helpful right now. That having been said I’d still like to ride one just to see.
I also wanted to say that the fact you travelled from Norwich brought back good memories as my family used to live in Norfolk. So I know Norwich well.
Yes, plenty more English trains to come 😁