Above: A new train at Lowestoft Credit: Greater Anglia People in and around Lowestoft are invited to board a brand-new Greater Anglia train on Saturday to have a look round it and see the new layout and features during a special event to help people travel with confidence. The event has been organised by the Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership and Greater Anglia as part of a national ‘Community Rail Week’ with the theme ‘Give the train a try’ and in celebration of the 175th anniversary of the railway reaching Lowestoft. One of Greater Anglia’s new Stadler bi-mode trains will stand in platform 4 from 11am until 3pm on Saturday 28 May. The public is invited to come along and experience the train and its improved features – such as more seats, dedicated cycle areas and spacious wheelchair spaces which are clearly signposted on the outside of the train as well as accessible toilets and an accessible seating area with room for friends and family. The trains are better for the environment too with an energy-efficient, aerodynamic design and regenerative braking which delivers energy back into the electrical supply network rather than waste the energy, through heat, as conventional brake systems do. Greater Anglia staff and volunteers from the Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership and the Lowestoft Central Project will be on hand to answer questions and receive feedback. At the same time a new exhibition ‘Last Train Gone’, by acclaimed railway photographer David Pearce, will be open at the station’s Parcels Office. Community Rail Week, organised by the Community Rail Network and sponsored by Rail Delivery Group, runs from Monday 23- Sunday 29 May. The ‘Give the train a try’ theme is aimed at encouraging people to try train travel, to increase travel confidence and support a shift to greener journeys that don’t add to traffic and pollution, as the country begins to recover from the pandemic. Martin Halliday, Rail Development Officer for the Community Rail Partnership, said, “We’re delighted to work with Greater Anglia to have one of their brand-new trains standing at Lowestoft for people to come and see the transformation in terms of comfort and accessibility. It’s amazing to think how far the line has come since the railway reached Lowestoft 175 years ago! “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 East 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 Lowestoft’s sunny shores – raising awareness and exploring how we can enable and empower more people to feel confident and able to travel by train.”
