Greater Anglia First Class: Everything you need to know

Thinking about an upgrade? You may well be wondering what the Greater Anglia First Class benefits are.

With a First Class ticket, you’ll get:

• Access to the First Class carriage
• Spacious seating with more leg room
• Lots of tables
• Complimentary refreshments from the Café bar next door (weekdays only)

This is in addition to the free Wi-Fi available to all passengers.

If you’re travelling Monday to Friday, you can enjoy complimentary Greater Anglia First Class refreshments from the Café bar, so there’s no excuse not to grab a cuppa and a biscuit as you relax onboard.

The Greater Anglia First Class refreshments list includes:

• Lavazza Filter Coffee – Freshly brewed on board
• Tea – Yorkshire Tea, Earl Grey, Green Tea or Peppermint
• Hot Chocolate
• Still Water
• Snacks - selection of biscuits

You can also purchase additional snacks and drinks including sandwiches, crisps and alcohol. A full list is available on the Greater Anglia café menu. Please note that some services operate a trolley service, check with train staff if you’re unsure.

Photo by Superalbs

If you haven’t booked your ticket yet, simply head on over to our journey planner, type in your preferred route, select the best journey option for your plans and then before proceeding to the payment screen, click on ‘View 1^st Class & More Tickets’. Here you’ll find the available Greater Anglia First Class fares.

If you’ve already booked a standard ticket but are looking to enjoy the space and comfort of First Class travel, you can upgrade your ticket at a Great Anglia ticket office. You’ll just need to pay the different between the fares.

Another way to upgrade if you’ve already bought your ticket is to head to the Seatfrog app. Here you can bid for a Greater Anglia First Class upgrade and potentially get a great deal with bids starting from just £13. There’s also the option to buy an instant upgrade, subject to availability. Auctions begin from 24 hours up to 30 minutes before your journey and you’ll need to have your standard ticket as well as your Seatfrog upgrade barcode to access First Class.

Please be aware that Greater Anglia First Class carriages are only available on Intercity trains between London and Norwich. This route includes stops at:

• Norwich
• Diss
• Stowmarket
• Ipswich
• Manningtree
• Colchester
• Chelmsford
• Stratford
• London Liverpool Street

Unfortunately, a First Class lounge isn’t currently included when you buy a Greater Anglia First Class upgrade and your ticket won’t usually be eligible for First Class lounges at stations served by Greater Anglia.

Greater Anglia First Class carriages are available on most Intercity trains between London and Norwich. On the 12-car Stadler Intercity trains, you’ll find First Class in coaches A and B next to the Café Bar. It will also be clearly marked by the door for each carriage.

As well as more spacious seating in Greater Anglia First Class carriages, you’ll find single seat table options. This is in addition to the four-seater tables and two seats side-by-side arrangements. For a more comprehensive Greater Anglia First Class seating plan showing the location of the café bar and facilities, click here.

You can also find the plans for the other trains that operate on this route but don’t include First Class carriages here and here.

We think there are certainly several Greater Anglia First Class benefits, including the more spacious seating and complimentary refreshments. However, whether this is worth it for you will depend completely on your journey as well as the cost of an upgrade.

Weekend upgrades can be cheaper but do be aware that First Class travel at the weekend doesn’t include Café Bar refreshments. To secure the best value, be sure to make the most of early booking options, off-peak travel times and auctions on the Seatfrog app.