First Group gained the Great Eastern franchise in 1997 as part of the Privatisation of British Rail. In 2003, as part of a franchise reorganisation planned by the then Strategic Rail Authority, the Great Eastern was to be merged to form a 'Greater Anglia' franchise. This new contract was won by National Express Group who took over First Great Eastern operations on April 1, 2004 using the brand name 'one', which has since been rebranded as National Express East Anglia.