British Rail Class 323
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The British Rail Class 323 is a class of electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger train built by Hunslet Transportation Projects and Holec. All 43 units were built from 1992 through to 1995,[4] although mock-ups and prototypes were built and tested in 1990 and 1991.[18]
British Rail Class 323 | |
---|---|
In service | 7 February 1994 – present |
Manufacturer |
|
Order no. |
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Built at | Leeds[4] |
Replaced | |
Constructed | 1992–1995[4] |
Refurbished |
|
Number built | 43[5] |
Successor | Class 730 (West Midlands Railway)[6] |
Formation | 3 cars per unit: DMS-TS-DMS[7] |
Diagram |
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Fleet numbers | 323201–323243[7] |
Capacity |
|
Owners | Porterbrook |
Operators | |
Depots |
|
Lines served | |
Specifications | |
Car body construction | Aluminium alloy[3] |
Train length | 70.18 m (230 ft 3 in) |
Car length |
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Width | 2.800 m (9 ft 2.2 in) |
Height | 3.769 m (12 ft 4.4 in) |
Floor height | 1.156 m (3 ft 9.5 in) |
Doors | Double-leaf sliding plug, each 1.305 m (4 ft 3.4 in) wide (2 per side per car) |
Wheelbase | Over bogie centres: 16.000 m (52 ft 5.9 in) |
Maximum speed | 90 mph (145 km/h)[7] |
Axle load | Route Availability 3[12] |
Traction system | |
Traction motors | 8 × Holec DMKT 52/24[5] asynchronous three-phase AC |
Power output | 1,168 kW (1,566 hp) total[12] |
Electric system(s) | 25 kV 50 Hz AC Overhead |
Current collector(s) | Pantograph (Brecknell Willis)[7] |
UIC classification | Bo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′ |
Bogies | |
Braking system(s) | Westcode EP (disc) and regenerative[7][note 5] |
Safety system(s) | |
Coupling system | Tightlock |
Multiple working | Within class (max. 4 units)[7] |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
Notes/references | |
Sourced from Webber 1999 unless otherwise noted. |
Entering service in 1994, the 323s were among the last trains to enter service with British Rail before its privatisation in the mid-1990s. The units were designed to operate on inner-suburban commuter lines in and around Birmingham and Manchester with swift acceleration and high reliability. Of the 43 units built, 25 are in operation with West Midlands Railway and 18 with Northern Trains. In the first half of 2024 the West Midlands Railway units are planned to be replaced by new Class 730 EMUs,[6] and 34 units will be operated by Northern Trains.
The units are known for their rapid acceleration, being the fastest accelerating trains on the UK rail network, and also for the distinctive whining sounds that can be heard during acceleration or deceleration. These sounds are generated by the traction electronics. They were also among the first trains to be built from aluminium rather than steel in the UK.[19]