British Rail Class 323

British Rail Class 323
British Rail Class 323
	West Midlands Railway Class 323 at Aston in 2019
	Interior of a refurbished Arriva Rail North Class 323 unit
In service	7 February 1994 – present
Manufacturer	Hunslet Transportation Projects; Holec Ridderkerk UK;
Order no.	DMS vehicles: 31112 & 31114; PTS vehicles: 31113;
Built at	Leeds
Replaced	Class 116; Class 304; Class 305; Class 308; Class 309; Class 310; Class 312;
Constructed	1992–1995
Refurbished	2011–2013; 2018–2021;
Number built	43
Successor	Class 730 (West Midlands Railway)
Formation	3 cars per unit: DMS-TS-DMS
Diagram	DMS vehicles: EA272; TS vehicles: EH296;
Fleet numbers	323201–323243
Capacity	As built: 284 seats; Refurbished: 277 seats;
Owners	Porterbrook
Operators	Current:; Northern Trains; West Midlands Railway; Former:; Central Trains; First North Western; London Midland; Northern Rail; Regional Railways;
Depots	Current:; Soho (Birmingham); Allerton (Liverpool); Future:; Manchester International; Former:; Bletchley (Milton Keynes); Longsight (Manchester);
Lines served	Birmingham to Worcester via Bromsgrove line; Cross-City Line; Chase Line; Crewe–Manchester line; Glossop line; Stafford–Manchester line;
Specifications
Car body construction	Aluminium alloy
Train length	70.18 m (230 ft 3 in)
Car length	DMS vehs.: 22.810 m (74 ft 10.0 in); TS vehs.: 22.840 m (74 ft 11.2 in);
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)
Axle load	Route Availability 3
Traction system	As built: Holec GTO-VVVF; Post-2016: Alstom IGBT-VVVF;
Traction motors	8 × Holec DMKT 52/24 asynchronous three-phase AC
Power output	1,168 kW (1,566 hp) total
Electric system(s)	25 kV 50 Hz AC Overhead
Current collector(s)	Pantograph (Brecknell Willis)
UIC classification	Bo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′
Bogies	DMS vehicles: RFS BP62; TS vehicles: RFS BT52;
Braking system(s)	Westcode EP (disc) and regenerative
Safety system(s)	AWS; TPWS; (plus provision for BR ATP);
Coupling system	Tightlock
Multiple working	Within class (max. 4 units)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Notes/references
	Sourced from Webber 1999 unless otherwise noted.

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, although mock-ups and prototypes were built and tested in 1990 and 1991.

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, and 34 units will be operated by Northern Trains.

The units are known for the distinctive sounds that can be heard during acceleration or deceleration. These sounds are generated by the traction electronics.

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