The railway in Anglia has reached a major milestone, with a new unified leadership team now in place to bring together c2c, Greater Anglia and Network Rail Anglia, aligning track and train more closely to deliver a more joined-up and reliable railway for passengers in the East of England.

In an important step towards the establishment of Great British Railways (GBR), the move will bring track and train together under one leadership team.

The new structure is designed to provide an even better service for customers and communities – by enabling faster, more coordinated decision-making across the network, with benefits for both day-to-day service delivery and the long-term planning of customer improvements.

Under public ownership, the integrated railway will be better placed to keep as much of the railway open as possible at the times customers need it most, including through more coordinated planning of engineering work and an even stronger focus on minimising disruption where possible.

Bringing together c2c, Greater Anglia and Network Rail Anglia on the journey to GBR. Photo credit: c2c, Greater Anglia and Network Rail Anglia

Over time, this integrated approach will improve how services are planned and delivered day to day, providing an even more reliable and consistent experience for passengers. This has already been shown to benefit passenger and freight services on publicly owned South Eastern Railway and South Western Railway which have similar integrated teams and will become the industry standard across the network as the Government sets up Great British Railways.

The move builds on the strong performance already delivered across the region, with Greater Anglia and c2c among the best-performing train operators in the country, both achieving punctuality of over 91% and maintaining some of the lowest cancellation rates nationally, alongside a high-performing Network Rail Anglia route.

The Anglia network also plays a vital role in supporting freight and the wider economy. The integration of Anglia’s railway will strengthen already close working with partners, including freight customers, Transport for London and other passenger operators, to strengthen connectivity and deliver a more integrated transport network.

The new leadership team brings together expertise from across c2c, Greater Anglia and Network Rail Anglia, providing a clear and unified focus on delivering improvements for passengers and communities.

Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, said: “c2c, Greater Anglia and Network Rail Anglia are showing exactly how public ownership is transforming the railways for good. Great British Railways will bring the management of train and track together, a vital part of ending the fragmentation that passengers have dealt with for far too long. 

“As we move towards GBR, leaders will work together to put passengers and freight at the centre of all planning and decision-making, and those travelling across East Anglia will now reap the benefits: less disruption, greater connectivity and improved reliability.

“This is all part of our mission to build a passenger focused railway that supports jobs, growth and homes.”  

Jamie Burles, Managing Director, said: “We are starting from a position of strength, with two of the best-performing train operators in the country and a strong Network Rail route. This is about building on that success and moving into the next phase, with joint objectives and joint solutions.

“By bringing track and train together under one leadership team, we can plan better, respond faster and deliver an even more reliable railway for passengers.

“Over time, that means better coordination during disruption, more effective planning of engineering work and a more consistent experience for customers and communities across the region.”

Managing Director, Jamie Burles. Photo credit: c2c, Greater Anglia and Network Rail Anglia

There will be no immediate changes to services, branding or the way customers travel. c2c and Greater Anglia services will continue to operate, while work continues to bring teams closer together and deliver ongoing improvements ahead of Great British Railways.