Name high-speed former InterCity operators in this country and Anglia is not usually one that people come up with. It was! It's now known as Anglia Railways, and operates high-speed trains between London Liverpool Street and Norwich. It also operates the Harwich Boat Train,local services in East Anglia to places such as Lowestoft and the new CrossRail service to Basingstoke from East Anglia.
I took a journey with a friend of mine to Norwich one Saturday and caught a service that stopped at only two stations to Norwich. I purchased a Saver ticket for approx £20 with a Young Persons Railcard. After paying with a £5 voucher and obtaining the Weekend First upgrade, the total ticket cost a mere £25, which for First Class travel is a damn good price. Weekend First is a supplement to upgrade to First Class on Saturdays and Sundays. It is £5 per single (£10 for the 2 legs of a return ticket) on Anglia Railways, which is very good value. If you require this, simply sit in First Class and ask for the Weekend First upgrade from the Train Manager.
Seating in First Class is typically 2+1 with seating in Standard Class 2+2 (2+2 means two seats on one side of the aisle, and two on the other). The seats recline in First Class, but not in Standard Class. Both classes are comfortable to sit, and are not too hard or soft.
Ride quality varies greatly. As most of Anglia Railways mainline carriage stock is classed as Mark 2 (soon to withdrawn by Virgin on all routes, these carriages are older than those operated by operators such as Midland Mainline and GNER), the quality is not as good. There is sometimes a large amount of noise from the brakes, and it can be a little bumpy. If you are lucky enough to sit in the Buffet Car on an AR InterCity train, you will have a better ride quality and less noise. However, it has to be said that as they are old trains it is bearable and is not a major concern.
On-board catering is good. I especially enjoyed a sandwich from the buffet as it was something simple and tasty. Prices are average, but good for the railwaysin general.
Staff remain very friendly and is a credit to the company. It is highly unusual to find staff like that on trains nowerdays. We need more!!!
Stations are again, something to be proud of. Liverpool Street is always a commuter mecca, but remains a place that doesn't look shabby considering the number of users. Ipswich and Norwich stations are attractive and clean and again, a credit to the company.
Sadly i have yet to sample the local services operated by AR, or the CrossLink route either. I would recommend the CrossLink trains - they are new and very comfortable. The CrossLink Explorer is available for £10 and more information is available from the National Rail website! Well worth using!
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Very good review. I use their Cambridge to Norwich service regularly and the trains are very good. However, I have used their service from Ipswich to Peterborough and it was on a rusty single carriage traing and it was packed, so if I travel on this route I avoid Anglia's trains.
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