Greater Anglia's boss has sent out a New Year message looking forward to better times for the rail network - and to the time when the company can welcome back passengers without the restrictions it currently faces.
Managing director Jamie Burles said the last year had been very tough with the pandemic - but the company had continued its programme of replacing old carriages with brand new trains and made significant improvements to reliability.
Greater Anglia has committed to a range of improvements in the year ahead - from better punctuality and environmental performance to improved stations, accessibility and ticket options.
The train company has pledged to a variety of improvements in the latest edition of its Customer Report, now available on the Greater Anglia website.
The six-monthly Customer Report outlines Greater Anglia’s achievements over half of last year and sets out what the company hopes to do in the year ahead.
In 2021, Greater Anglia will be phasing in more new trains and developing timetable changes to capitalise on their faster acceleration and braking times.
Among stations due to be improved are Ipswich, Saxmundham, Wickford, Witham and Wymondham.
Extra cycle parking is due to be installed at Cambridge North, Cheshunt, Harlow Town and Wymondham stations
Last year funding from partners was secured for accessibility improvements at Bury St Edmunds, Colchester, Needham Market and Wymondham stations, so this year the company is planning to start work on these schemes.
Achievements from last year detailed in the report include record-breaking punctuality, with statistics published for performance, complaints, customer satisfaction and passenger assistance.
The report also sets out what the company has done to keep rail passengers safe during the pandemic, such as cleaning and sanitising trains, installing social distancing measures and making it easier for customers to claim refunds online.
Mr Burles said: “Last year was dominated by the pandemic for everyone. I’m very proud that we provided a safe and reliable service for customers who needed to use our trains.
“We achieved a great deal last year, with our transformation of the railway in East Anglia continuing at pace, and we have much planned for this year to continue to improve our service to our customers.”
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