It is electrified at 25 kV AC using overhead wires and has a line speed of up to 100mph (161km h).
Notable landmarks along the route include London Liverpool Street, Stratford, the Olympic Park, Ilford Carriage Sidings, Chelmsford, Colchester, Manningtree, Stoke Tunnel (the only railway tunnel on the Great Eastern Main Line) and Felixstowe Container Terminal and Docks, as well as the Braintree branch from Witham and the short branch line to Colchester Town.. London Liverpool Street became the City terminus of the route in 1872, and now sees more than 57 million passengers each year.