British Rail Class 323
The British Rail Class 323 electric multiple-unit passenger trains were built by Hunslet Transportation Projects. All 43 units were built from 1992 through to 1996, although mock-ups and prototypes were built and tested in 1990 and 1991.
Entering service in 1992, the 323s were among the last trains to enter service with British Rail before its privatisation in the mid-1990s. The units were specifically designed to operate on inner-suburban commuter lines in and around Birmingham and Manchester with swift acceleration and high reliability. Of the 43 sets built, 26 are in operation with West Midlands Trains and 17 with Northern Trains. By 2021, the West Midlands Trains sets will be replaced by new rolling stock and 34 sets will be operated by Northern Trains.
The units are known for their distinctive traction motor sounds that can be heard during acceleration or deceleration.
Background
In the early 1990s the Regional Railways sector of British Rail placed an order for new EMUs both to replace older electric units around Birmingham and Manchester, and to work services on the newly electrified Birmingham Cross-City Line. In June 1990, the contract was awarded to Hunslet Transportation Projects of Birmingham, a new company set up by a team of engineers and managers who had left Metro Cammell. Metro Cammell was at the time a Birmingham-based train builder. It won the contract in competition with six other European train builders. The trains were designed in Birmingham, but built and fitted out at the Hunslet works in Leeds.Initially 37 units were ordered, with the option for fourteen more. Eighteen would be needed for the Cross-City Line, while the remainder would replace older units in the event a total of 43 three-car units were actually built. When the electrification of the Leeds/Bradford - Skipton/Ilkley Airedale/Wharfedale Lines was confirmed in the early 1990s, Regional Railways and West Yorkshire PTE applied to the government for 14 units to add to those already on order. At the time, government spending on the railways was restricted due to the looming privatisation and eventually, when funding was not forthcoming, the order was cancelled, and 21 second-hand 308s from Network SouthEast were used in the interim before the 333s were delivered in 2001.
The units are known for a distinctive whine made during acceleration or deceleration, rising/falling through multiple phases falsely suggestive of a motor connected to a gearbox with a great many ratios, caused by use of a gate turn-off thyristor-based inverter as part of the traction control circuitry that drives the 3-phase AC motors, a common setup in the early to mid 1990s which is notably also present in the Networker family of electric multiple units. The "gear-changing" effect is produced by the simplification of the PWM pulse pattern so as not to overload the thyristor, which switches at lower frequencies than later implementations of the variable-frequency drive and hence produces a lower-pitched sound.
Service history
British Rail service
The first 323s entered service in November 1992 on the northern section of the Cross City Line, before electric services began on the entire route in July the following year. In their early years the 323s suffered from a number of technical problems related to their gearbox, doors and traction converters which took several years to resolve, preventing the full fleet from entering service. Some of the elderly diesels which they had been intended to replace as well as some elderly, and electric units had to operate many of the Cross City Line services until the problems were resolved, and the 323s became reliable enough to operate a full service in 1995.Post-privatisation service
As part of the privatisation of British Rail, all 43 were sold to Porterbrook in 1994 and allocated to the Central Trains and North West Regional Railways shadow franchises.West Midlands
The former Central Trains inherited a fleet of 26 units from British Rail: sets 323201-222 and 323240-243. In November 2007, these passed to London Midland when it took over the franchise.In December 2017, West Midlands Trains took over the West Midlands franchise, and the 323s passed to that company. However, they will be displaced by new trains on the Cross-City Line in 2020.
Northern Trains
The units were used to replace older stock of Classes 304 and 305, although some of the latter were retained in reserve until 2000. They are used on the Manchester electrified network, primarily to the south of the city.At the time of the privatisation of British Rail, the Regional Railways North West franchise was re-branded North Western Trains, and it inherited 17 of these units. North Western Trains became First North Western and its operations were taken over by Northern Rail in 2004. All passed to Arriva Rail North with the franchise in April 2016, and then to current operator Northern Trains on 1 March 2020.
The fleet is maintained at Allerton TMD, with units stabled at Stockport Edgeley carriage sidings where they receive overnight cleaning. Units are also stabled on a temporary basis overnight at Longsight Excursion Platform, whilst new stabling space is constructed at Ardwick TMD operated by Siemens. The 323s were formerly maintained on behalf of Northern by West Coast Traincare Ltd at its Manchester Traincare Centre Longsight, a few miles south of Manchester Piccadilly.
Current services
| Route | Usage | Notes | Other Units Used |
| to via | Monday to Saturday | Hourly service, Introduced in May 2018. Combination of previous Liverpool to Manchester and Manchester to Crewe services. | 319, 331 |
| Liverpool Lime Street to Wilmslow via Manchester Airport | Monday to Saturday, Sunday. | Hourly service, introduced in May 2018. | 319, 331 |
| Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Victoria | Monday to Friday | Peak-only service, previously hourly service before May 2018 | 319 |
| Liverpool Lime Street to Warrington Bank Quay | Monday to Saturday | Hourly service, combineses with Liverpool to Crewe service to provide 2tph service between Liverpool and Earlestown. | 319 |
| Manchester Piccadilly to Glossop/Hadfield | Monday to Sunday | Half-Hourly service. Extra services in Peak Periods. | - |
| Manchester Piccadilly to Stoke-on-Trent | Monday to Sunday | Hourly service Monday - Saturday, 6 services on Sunday in both directions | 319, 331 |
| Manchester Piccadilly to Crewe via Stockport | Monday to Sunday | Hourly service calling at all stations. | 319, 331 |
| Manchester Piccadilly to Crewe via Manchester Airport | Monday to Friday | Peak-time service only. Previously hourly service extended to Liverpool Lime Street in May 2018. | 319, 331 |
Previous Services
Accidents and incidents
On 18 December 2008, unit 323231 collided with a Nissan 4x4 which had rolled down the embankment from a delivery company car park at North Road, Congleton. The unit spent 16 months out of service to undergo repair as a result.On 17 December 2019, unit 323234 derailed in the Ardwick depot. The train rolled approximately 4 feet away from the railhead and where it had ended up. No one was hurt in the accident as it occurred at a low speed.
Future
The 323s were expected to leave Northern in December 2018 when replaced by the ; however, this has not taken effect; the 323s will be retained, replacing the older s, and being joined by 17 units cascaded from West Midlands Trains.Class 323s operated by both Northern Trains and West Midlands Trains are currently receiving a full refurbishment, with the first refurbished units delivered to West Midlands Trains in February 2019, and the first Northern unit returning on 22 October 2019. The rest of fleet will be refurbished to the same standard over the following months. These works involve the replacement of seat covers, interior and exterior repainting, the installation of a new passenger information system and wheelchair call-for-aid buttons, and the addition of an accessible toilet in place of the original small toilet cubicles, among other modifications. Many of these changes are a requirement of the PRM TSI, with which all UK trains must be compliant to continue running beyond the end of 2019
Fleet details
| Class | Operator | No. Built | Year Built | Cars per Set | Unit nos. | Diagram |
| Class 323 | West Midlands Trains | 26 | 1992-96 | 3 | 323201-222, 323240-243 | |
| Class 323 | Northern Trains | 17 | 1992-96 | 3 | 323223-239 |