Passengers warned they won’t be able to get off at Enfield Lock, Brimsdown, Ponders End or Meridian Water if they’re in wrong carriage

*The new ten-carriage Greater Anglia trains are longer than many of the station platforms they will be stopping at (credit Greater Anglia)*

New longer, ten-carriage trains are too long for the stations in Enfield they will serve, passengers have been warned.

Anyone riding on the Greater Anglia line between Liverpool Street and Hertford East has been warned that they will not be able to alight at Enfield Lock, Brimsdown, Ponders End or Meridian Water stations if they are in the wrong carriage.

Greater Anglia’s ten-carriage trains provide more seats for customers and form part of a £1.4billion investment in new rolling stock for the rail franchise, which is in the process of being sold by its Dutch owners.

Greater Anglia has just finished making platforms at Hertford East, Ware, Broxbourne and Stratford long enough for the new ten-carriage trains, with 17 days of engineering works carried out during August. It meant they could be put into service starting this week, providing at least 73% more seats than the old trains they replaced.

However, the shorter platforms still in place at the four eastern Enfield stations served by the route mean doors in some carriages will not open. Special door-opening software means that doors only open where there is a platform next to them and any other doors not next to a platform remain shut, preventing passengers from falling off the train.

Greater Anglia has produced posters for each station affected to show customers where to get on or off the train. There will also be announcements on passenger information screens on trains and platforms to show passengers which carriage they should travel in.

Wheelchair users should let the member of staff who is assisting them know where they’re getting off to ensure they can get exit at their destination. Cyclists should also use the right half of the train so they can take their bike off the train at their destination.

Andrew Goodrum, Greater Anglia’s client and programme director, said: “Passengers on the Hertford East line can now see the full benefits of our new longer trains and enjoy more comfortable journeys with many more seats available.

“We’re very grateful to customers on the Hertford East line for their patience this summer while we have carried out works to make platforms longer at Hertford East, Ware and Broxbourne.

“We’re advising customers to check arrangements at some intermediate stations between Hertford East/Bishops Stortford and Stratford/London Liverpool Street as our new commuter trains are still longer than some of the platforms they will be stopping at, especially when they are ten carriages long.

“The trains’ on-board computers are programmed so that doors will only open on to a platform – as is the case with many trains on other railways.

“We will do everything we can to make sure customers know which part of the train they need to be on to get on and off at the start and end of their journey.

“Anyone unsure about which carriage to travel in can ask a member of station staff or contact us using the assistance button on ticket machines which will put them through to a member of staff based in Norwich who will be able to help or tweet @GreaterAnglia.”

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