The fleet consists of 20 Class 745 electric multiple units, used on London–Norwich intercity services and Stansted Airport connections, and 38 Class 755 bi-mode units operating regional services in East Anglia. The latter can run under electric traction or on diesel power, allowing Greater Anglia to operate through services across electrified and non-electrified routes without changing trains.Greater Anglia, Rock Rail and Stadler signed the original fleet agreement in 2016, with the first trains entering passenger service in July 2019. Since then, the 58 units have covered more than 50 million miles (80 million km) and carried an estimated 145 million passenger journeys. Rock Rail also reports energy savings exceeding 100 million kWh through regenerative braking up to the end of 2025. Over the same period, Greater Anglia's public performance measure (PPM) improved from 89% in 2019/20 to 94% in 2025/26, although this reflects the operator's wider network performance rather than the Stadler fleet alone.https://railmarket.com/assets/ref/follow/eyJjIjoyMTIsInoiOjEsInUiOiJodHRwczovL3JhaWxtYXJrZXQuY29tL2V1L3Byb2ZpbGUvcmFpbGZpeHgtZ21iaCIsImV4cCI6MTc5MzE1MjQ1MX0.3oP5EC5JQEMXlznOBrXA0qzEarY_S-rAFvxm0S5xMP0The two agreements also illustrate how private rolling stock ownership continues under Britain's renationalised passenger railway. While Greater Anglia now operates under public ownership, Rock Rail remains the fleet's leasing partner and Stadler retains responsibility for its maintenance and technical support. The new maintenance agreement runs for two years, considerably shorter than the ten-year rolling stock lease.
The situation follows another delay announced earlier in October affecting the Expresskreuz Bremen/Niedersachsen network.
Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen (LNVG) ordered 34 Coradia Max double-decker EMUs from Alstom in 2021 under a contract valued at approximately EUR 760 million. The trains were originally due to enter service in December 2024.
The manufacturer has now postponed deliveries for the seventh time, with the first units not expected until 2028.
According to Alstom, previous material shortages and additional challenges involving production and authorisation have contributed to the revised schedule.
The trains are intended to operate on three Regionalexpress routes:
RE1 Hannover–Bremen–Oldenburg–Norddeich Mole/Wilhelmshaven
RE8 Hannover–Bremen–Bremerhaven-Lehe
RE9 Osnabrück–Bremen–Bremerhaven-Lehe
Together, these services carry approximately 40,000 passengers daily.
The new fleet will introduce step-free boarding, adaptable bicycle spaces and larger multipurpose areas. Alstom is also responsible for long-term maintenance and spare-parts availability.
For passengers, however, these improvements remain postponed. Replacement rolling stock will continue throughout the 2027 timetable year.
LNVG has stated that the existing arrangements should enable the full timetable to operate during 2027. It has also instructed DB Regio to prepare further replacement arrangements for 2028.
The authority expects the continuing delay to have substantial financial consequences for Alstom, although compensation arrangements cannot eliminate the disruption to the fleet replacement programme.
The two orders cover 76 Coradia Max trainsets for separate transport authorities, contracted in different years and originally planned for introduction in 2024 and 2027 respectively.
Both now have initial deliveries scheduled for 2028, although neither announcement provides a definitive completion date for the entire fleet.
For the transport authorities, the immediate concern is securing sufficient rolling stock to maintain capacity and service quality. For Alstom, the revised schedules extend the period in which the company must resolve manufacturing and authorisation issues while fulfilling its contractual obligations.
