Stansted Express

The Stansted Express is a direct train service linking London Liverpool Street to London Stansted Airport. It is a sub-brand of Abellio Greater Anglia, the current franchise operator of the Greater Anglia franchise.

History

In 1986, British Rail (BR) extended the electrification of the West Anglia Main Line from Bishops Stortford to Cambridge. Included in this plan was the construction of new branch line, diverging from a triangular junction at Stansted Mountfitchet, to serve Stansted Airport, which in 1991 had just completed a massive expansion and was to be used for scheduled aviation passenger service for the first time. Therefore, BR decided to build a dedicated fleet of units to work the new Stansted Express service designated as Class 322 with the service operated by the Network Southeast sector.

Upon the Privatisation of British Rail in 1996, the Stansted Express was part of West Anglia Great Northern franchise until the tender was reorganised in 2004 and it became part of the Greater Anglia franchise operated by one (later renamed National Express East Anglia) until February 2012, when the franchise was taken over by the current operator Abellio Greater Anglia.