Greater Anglia has unveiled a special Pride livery for one of the trains on its regional network.
The livery, which has been applied to a Stadler-built ‘class 755’ regional train (number 755421), includes both the Pride and transgender flags adjacent to the driver’s cab, on both ends and sides of the four-carriage train.
The train primarily operates services both between Ipswich and Felixstowe, Lowestoft, Cambridge, and Peterborough, and between Norwich and Cambridge/Stansted Airport, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, and Sheringham.
The livery, launched at a special ceremony at Norwich station on Wednesday 3 April, also includes the word ‘Pride’, applied beneath the windows of the first and last carriages, in colours supporting the progress flag and representing visibility for marginalised LGBT+ people, as well as the wider values of diversity and inclusion.
The unveiling marks the second ‘Pride train’ on Greater Anglia. In July 2023, a Class 720 suburban train, which operates on a large number of Greater Anglia routes from London to Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Suffolk, was unveiled at London Liverpool Street in a similar livery. The addition of the livery to one of the regional bi-mode trains, will mean it will now be seen across most Greater Anglia routes and passing most Greater Anglia stations.
Andrew Goodrum, Greater Anglia’s Client and Programme Director, said: “This is now the second Greater Anglia train with a Pride livery, meaning this livery will now be seen across the majority of our network, all year round.
“Absolutely everyone is welcome on the railway and this livery is a fitting way of demonstrating that fact for passengers and staff alike.
“Many of our customers and colleagues are members of the LGBT+ community and I know how proud they were when the first train was unveiled in London in 2023 – so it’s now great to extend that approach across the rest of the Greater Anglia network.”
Jamie Gooch, who works as a Senior Conductor and is also a member of the LGBT+ community, said: “I’m so very proud to have witnessed the unveiling of this new Greater Anglia Pride train.
“For Pride-liveried trains to now run across the majority of our network and be particularly visible across rural areas of Suffolk and Norfolk, spreads the message that the railway is here for everybody.
“It is another step forward to bringing communities together and ensuring that everyone, regardless of sexuality and gender, can be their true selves while travelling with us and working for us.”
The livery is part of Greater Anglia’s wider diversity and inclusion strategy, which sees the company working year-round to make itself a better and more inclusive place to work. The train operator also recently celebrated International Women’s Day and last October unveiled a train with a special livery celebrating black history, both of which are part of a wider programme of initiatives to encourage inclusion, including its Greater Together programme for colleagues across the company.