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First Great Eastern
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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}} {{Use British English|date=December 2016}} {{Infobox rail company |logo = First Great Eastern Logo2.gif |logo_size = 150 |image = 360111 at Ipswich.jpg |image_size = 300 |caption = [[British Rail Class 360|Class 360 ''Desiro'']] at {{stnlnk|Ipswich}} in 2004 |franchise = Great Eastern<br>5 January 1997 β 31 March 2004 |regions = [[East London]]<br>[[East of England]] |secregions = |fleet = 144 |stations = 61 |abbr = GE |parent_company = [[FirstGroup]] |website = |map = |successor=[[National Express East Anglia|One]]}} '''First Great Eastern'''<ref>[http://data.companieshouse.gov.uk/doc/company/03007936 Companies House extract company no 3007936] Great Eastern Railway Limited</ref> was a [[train operating company]] in England owned by [[FirstGroup]] that operated the Great Eastern franchise from January 1997 until March 2004. [[File:First Great Eastern Logo1.gif|right|thumbnail|Logo used from 1997 to 1999]] ==Services== First Great Eastern operated all stops and limited stops services on the [[Great Eastern Main Line]] from [[Liverpool Street station|London Liverpool Street]] to [[Southend Victoria railway station|Southend Victoria]], [[Southminster railway station|Southminster]], {{stnlnk|Braintree|England}}, [[Colchester Town railway station|Colchester Town]], [[Clacton-on-Sea railway station|Clacton-on-Sea]], [[Walton-on-the-Naze railway station|Walton-on-the-Naze]], [[Harwich Town railway station|Harwich Town]] and [[Ipswich railway station|Ipswich]]. It also ran services on the [[Romford to Upminster Line]] and [[Gainsborough Line]] from [[Marks Tey railway station|Marks Tey]] to [[Sudbury railway station|Sudbury]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20030805035944/http://www.ger.co.uk/images/network_large.jpg First Great Eastern route map August 2003]</ref> ==Rolling stock== First Great Eastern inherited a fleet of [[British Rail Class 312|Class 312]], [[British Rail Class 315|Class 315]] and [[British Rail Class 321|Class 321s]] from [[British Rail]]. A [[British Rail Class 153|Class 153]] was hired from [[Anglia Railways]] for the [[Marks Tey railway station|Marks Tey]] to [[Sudbury railway station|Sudbury]] service due to it not being electrified, a [[British Rail Class 150|Class 150]] being used on weekdays and a [[British Rail Class 153|Class 153]] on weekends. Prior to this arrangement, a [[British Rail Class 121|Class 121 ''Bubble Car'']] was hired from [[Silverlink]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title= Bubble cars revived, depot opens to solve Great Eastern branch crisis | magazine = [[Rail Magazine]] |issue=312 |date= 27 August 1997 |page=10}}</ref> A franchise commitment was the replacement of the [[British Rail Class 312|Class 312s]]. In May 2001, First Great Eastern ordered 21 [[British Rail Class 360|Class 360 ''Desiros'']] with the first entering service in August 2003.<ref>{{cite magazine |title= | magazine = [[Rail Magazine]] |issue=312 |date= 30 August 2003 |page=9}}</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=May 2023}} {| class="wikitable" |+ Fleet at end of franchise |- ! rowspan="2" |Class ! rowspan="2" |Image ! rowspan="2" |Type ! colspan="2" |Top speed ! rowspan="2" |Number ! rowspan="2" |Routes operated ! rowspan="2" |Built |- !mph !km/h |- |[[British Rail Class 121|121 ''Bubble Car'']] |[[File:19880827-Paddington-Class121.jpg|118px]] | rowspan="3" |[[diesel multiple unit]] |70 |112 |Hired from<br>[[Silverlink]] | rowspan="3" |{{stnlink|Marks Tey}}β{{stnlink|Sudbury}} |1960 |- |[[British Rail Class 150|150]] |[[File:150245 at Cambridge.JPG|100px]] | rowspan="2" |75 | rowspan="2" |120 | rowspan="2" |Hired from<br>[[Anglia Railways]] |1984β1987 |- |[[British Rail Class 153|153]] |[[File:153335 'Michael Palin' at Cambridge.JPG|100px]] |1987β1988 |- |[[British Rail Class 312|312]] |[[File:312718 and 312721 at Kirby Cross.JPG|100px]] | rowspan="4" |[[electric multiple unit]] |90 |145 |24 |{{stnlink|Colchester}}β{{stnlink|Walton-on-the-Naze}}<br>{{stnlink|Harwich Town}}β{{stnlink|Manningtree}}<br>{{stnlink|London Liverpool Street}}β{{stnlink|Clacton-on-Sea}} and {{stnlink|Ipswich}} (peak times only) |1975β1978 |- |[[British Rail Class 315|315]] |[[File:Class 315s at London Liverpool Street.jpg|100px]] |75 |120 |43 |{{stnlink|London Liverpool Street}}β{{stnlink|Shenfield}} and {{stnlink|Southminster}}<br>{{stnlink|Romford}}β{{stnlink|Upminster}} |1980β1981 |- |[[British Rail Class 321|321]] |[[File:321334 at Pudding Mill Lane.jpg|100px]] | rowspan="2" |100 | rowspan="2" |160 |77 |{{stnlink|London Liverpool Street}}β{{stnlink|Braintree|England}}, {{stnlink|Southend Victoria}}, {{stnlink|Ipswich}}, {{stnlink|Walton-on-the-Naze}}, {{stnlink|Colchester Town}}, {{stnlink|Clacton-on-Sea}}<br>{{stnlink|Wickford}}β{{stnlink|Southminster}} (Sundays only) |1988β1990 |- |[[British Rail Class 360|360/1 ''Desiro'']] |[[File:360111 at Ipswich.jpg|100px]] |21 |{{stnlink|London Liverpool Street}}β{{stnlink|Clacton-on-Sea}} and {{stnlink|Harwich Town}}<br>{{stnlink|London Liverpool Street}}β{{stnlink|Ipswich}} (peak times only) |2002β2003 |} ==Depot== First Great Eastern's fleet was maintained at [[Ilford EMU Depot|Ilford]] depot. ==Demise== In 2002, as part of a franchise reorganisation by the [[Strategic Rail Authority]], it was announced that the Great Eastern franchise would be merged into the [[East Anglia franchise|Greater Anglia franchise]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title= | magazine = [[Rail Magazine]] |issue=426 |date= 9 January 2002 |page=4}}</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=May 2023}} In December 2003, the Strategic Rail Authority awarded the Greater Anglia franchise to [[National Express]], and the services operated by First Great Eastern were transferred to [[National Express East Anglia|One]] (later [[National Express East Anglia]]) on 1 April 2004.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1450062/National-Express-wins-rail-franchise.html |title=National Express wins rail franchise|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|date=22 December 2003 | url-access = subscription | access-date = 23 May 2023}}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{commons category-inline}} {{s-start}} {{s-bef|before=[[Network SouthEast]]<br>As part of [[British Rail]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Operator of Great Eastern franchise |years=1997 β 2004}} {{s-aft|after=[[National Express East Anglia|One]]<br>[[East Anglia franchise|Greater Anglia franchise]]}} {{s-end}} {{UK TOCs|defunct|state=collapsed}} [[Category:Defunct train operating companies in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:FirstGroup railway companies]] [[Category:Railway companies established in 1997]] [[Category:Railway companies disestablished in 2004]] [[Category:1997 establishments in England]] [[Category:2004 disestablishments in England]]
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