Class 317 Profile and Models

Class 317

317342 at Peterborough in August 2009. ©Peter Skuce

The British Rail Class 315 was a fleet of alternating current (AC) electric multiple unit (EMU) trains, built by British Rail Engineering Limited at Holgate Road Carriage Works in York between 1980 and 1981; they replaced the Class 306 units. It was the fifth and final variant of unit derived from British Rail's 1971 prototype suburban EMU design which, as the BREL 1972 family, eventually encompassed 755 vehicles across Classes 313, 314, 315, 507 and 508. Revenue services with Class 315 units commenced in 1980 and continued until December 2022. Following the privatisation of British Rail, the Class 315s were divided between First Great Eastern (43 units) and West Anglia Great Northern (18 units). The leasing company Eversholt Rail Group has owned the entire Class 315 fleet since privatisation. The last day of service for the Class 315 units was 9 December 2022.

(Information provided via Wikipedia)

Type of Unit

Electric Multiple Unit - 25kV 50Hz AC Overhead

Builder

BREL York & Derby Works

Build Dates

1981 to 1987

Total Built

72 sets

Coaches Per Unit

4-car

Power Output

1,328 hp

Top Speed

100 mph

Passenger Capacity

292 seats

Operated By

British Rail
c2c
Greater Anglia
Great Northern
First Capital Connect
London Overground
National Express East Anglia
Network SouthEast
Thameslink
West Anglia Great Northern

Main Duties

Suburban Passenger

In Service Until

2022

Surviving Examples

2 individual cars preserved
14 stored as of Apr 2023