Transport Minister Derek Twigg joined c2c on 6 September 2006 at two events, one to celebrate the recent completion of a £1 million programme to improve the environment at busy Chafford Hundred station and a second at a naming a short while later at Upminster where Signaller Darren Smith named Class 357 Electrostar No 357213 Upminster I.E.C.C.

Chafford Hundred station opened in 1995 to serve the housing development and shopping centre at Lakeside. It proved so popular with both commuters and leisure travellers for the Lakeside complex that the original design was no longer suitable. The covered circulating area on the platform side of the ticket gates now provides a much larger sheltered accommodation area, the number of ticket gates have been increased from three to six and new CIS screens have been fitted. This work has been complemented by Thurrock Council, which has completely redesigned and landscaped the station forecourt.

The naming event was arranged on the same day to mark the close working relationship that now exists between c2c and Network Rail that in the past 18 months has delivered some of the top punctuality figures, not only in this country but in the world, topping those in Switzerland and occasionally even beating those from Japan! The Integrated Electrical Control Centre (I.E.C.C.) at Upminster was built in 1994 and is the nerve centre that controls all c2c services. The Network Rail controllers work alongside those of c2c at the centre, ensuring between them that immediate steps are taken to return services to normal should a problem arise.