The British Rail Class 321 is a class of
electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...
(EMU) passenger train built by
British Rail Engineering Limited
British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) was the rolling stock manufacturing and maintenance subsidiary of British Rail.
It was established on 1 January 1970 by the British Railways Board to operate its 14 rolling stock maintenance centres and ...
's
York Carriage Works
The Holgate Road carriage works was a railway carriage manufacturing factory in the Holgate, North Yorkshire, Holgate area of York, England.
The factory began production in 1884 as a planned expansion and replacement of the North Eastern Railw ...
in three batches between 1988 and 1991 for
Network SouthEast
Network SouthEast (NSE) was one of the three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982. NSE mainly operated commuter rail trains within Greater London and inter-urban services in densely populated South East England, although the networ ...
and
Regional Railways. The class uses
alternating current
Alternating current (AC) is an electric current that periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time, in contrast to direct current (DC), which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in w ...
(AC) overhead electrification. The design was successful and led to the development of the similar
Class 320 and
Class 322.
After operating for various trains operating companies after the
privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was the process by which ownership and operation of the Rail transport in Great Britain, railways of Great Britain passed from government control into private hands. Begun in 1994, the process was largely compl ...
, they were latterly operated by
Greater Anglia
Greater Anglia (legal name Transport UK East Anglia Limited) is a British train operating company owned as a joint venture by Transport UK Group and Mitsui & Co. It operates the East Anglia franchise, providing the commuter and inter-city se ...
until April 2023. Some have been converted to Class 320 and are operated by
ScotRail
ScotRail Trains Limited, trading as ScotRail (), is a Scottish train operating company that is publicly owned by Scottish Rail Holdings on behalf of the Scottish Government. It has been operating the ScotRail franchise as an operator of las ...
.
Description
Three sub-classes were built. The first two were built for the
Network SouthEast
Network SouthEast (NSE) was one of the three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982. NSE mainly operated commuter rail trains within Greater London and inter-urban services in densely populated South East England, although the networ ...
sector for operation on services from
London Liverpool Street and
London Euston
Euston railway station ( ; or London Euston) is a major central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station managed by Network Rail in the London Borough of Camden. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line ...
, while the third was built for
Regional Railways for use on
West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
Metro is the passenger information brand used by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in England. It was formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (WYPTE), at the same time as the metropolitan county of West Yo ...
services from
Leeds
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
. As part of the
privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was the process by which ownership and operation of the Rail transport in Great Britain, railways of Great Britain passed from government control into private hands. Begun in 1994, the process was largely compl ...
, ownership of the class passed from
British Rail
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Comm ...
to the
Eversholt Rail Group
Eversholt Rail Group is a British rolling stock company (ROSCO). Together with Angel Trains and Porterbrook, it is one of the three original ROSCOs created as a result of the privatisation of British Rail.
Eversholt was established in March 19 ...
in April 1994.
[
Each unit consists of four carriages: (DTC-PMS-TS-DTS)][ all units have a maximum speed of .][
They have been modified by the different rail companies which use them. The modifications include new seats, paintwork, lighting and passenger information systems.
The trains have been nicknamed "Dusty Bins" by some enthusiasts, after the TV game show " 3-2-1" which featured a mascot called "Dusty Bin".]
Class 321/3
In September 1987, Network SouthEast ordered 46 four-car units for use on services from London Liverpool Street to Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
and Southend Victoria, which became Class 321/3. The first was unveiled on 15 September 1988. A further 20 were ordered later. Units were numbered 321301–321366. The DTSO vehicle was equipped with a small area between the driver's cab and the first set of doors that could be used for the conveyance of parcels or luggage; this was indicated by a "P" following the unit number on the front of that vehicle.
These units replaced slam-door Class 305, Class 307, Class 308 and Class 309 units on trains to Clacton and Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...
, and worked services on the newly electrified routes to Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
and Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-o ...
. They also displaced many Class 312 slam-door units, which moved over to the London, Tilbury and Southend line
The London, Tilbury and Southend line, also known as Essex Thameside, is a commuter railway line on the Rail transport in Great Britain, British railway system. It connects Fenchurch Street railway station, Fenchurch Street station, in central ...
. Some of the Class 309s were retained until 1994, and 24 of the newer Class 312 units were retained long-term to work services to Walton-on-the-Naze
Walton-on-the-Naze is a seaside town on the North Sea coast. It is part of the parish of Frinton and Walton, in the Tendring District, Tendring district in Essex, England. The town is located north of Clacton and south of the port of Harwich; ...
and peak services to Clacton, Ipswich and Witham
Witham () is a town and civil parish in the Braintree district, in the county of Essex, England. In the 2011 census, it had a population of 25,353. It is twinned with the town of Waldbröl, Germany. Witham stands on the Roman road between the ...
. Units carried Network SouthEast livery from new.
The first of 30 321/3 units to be refurbished at Doncaster Works
Doncaster Railway Works is a railway workshop located in Doncaster, England.
Also referred to as ''The Plant'', it was established by the Great Northern Railway (England), Great Northern Railway in 1853, replacing the previous works in Boston, ...
, as part of the Renatus project which modernised the stock with features such as new air conditioning and heating, seating and Wi-Fi was completed in December 2016.
Class 321/4
In October 1988 a second batch of 30 was ordered. It was intended that 25 be used on Great Eastern Main Line
The Great Eastern Main Line (GEML, sometimes referred to as the East Anglia Main Line) is a major railway line on the British railway system which connects Liverpool Street station in central London with destinations in east London and t ...
services and five on West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
services, but in the event all were delivered to Bletchley TMD for use on the latter. A further 18 followed.[ Units were numbered 321401–321448. The first was delivered in July 1989. As with subclass /3 units, the DTSO vehicles were equipped with a parcels area indicated by suffixing a "P" to the unit number.
These were built for outer-suburban services on the ]West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
, from London Euston
Euston railway station ( ; or London Euston) is a major central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station managed by Network Rail in the London Borough of Camden. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line ...
to Northampton
Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...
, Rugby and Birmingham New Street
Birmingham New Street, also known as New Street station, is the largest and busiest of the three main railway stations in Birmingham city centre, England, and a central hub of the British railway system. It is a major destination for Avanti ...
. They displaced the then-recently cascaded Class 317s dating from 1981 which had themselves only just been introduced to the route to replace Class 310s.[
Eleven 321/4s were transferred for Great Eastern Main Line services. Following this, their First Class area was reduced in size to standardise with the 321/3s in use on that route. This involved removing the centre partition and double doors and re-upholstering the First Class style 2+2 seats (which were retained then) in the de-classified area into the same fabric as the Standard Class seats. Later the First Class 2+2 seats in this de-classified area were replaced with the standard style 2+3 seating. These 11 were also fitted with a facility to lock out the power door operation within the unit (a basic kind of Selective Operation) to permit operation of 12-car trains on the Braintree and Southminster branch lines, where some platforms were only long enough for 8-car trains.
The 11 Great Eastern sets passed to ]First Great Eastern
First Great Eastern was a train operating company in England owned by FirstGroup that operated the Great Eastern franchise from January 1997 until March 2004.
Services
First Great Eastern operated all stops and limited stops services on the ...
in January 1997, passing with the franchise to National Express East Anglia
National Express East Anglia (NXEA) was a train operating company in England owned by National Express that operated the Greater Anglia franchise from April 2004 until February 2012. Originally trading as One, it was rebranded National Expres ...
in April 2004 and Abellio Greater Anglia
Greater Anglia (legal name Transport UK East Anglia Limited) is a British train operating company owned as a joint venture by Transport UK Group and Mitsui & Co. It operates the East Anglia franchise, providing the commuter and inter-city se ...
in February 2012. The 37 West Coast sets passed to Silverlink in January 1997, passing with the franchise to London Midland
London Midland was a train operating company in England which operated the West Midlands franchise between 11 November 2007 and 10 December 2017. It was owned by the British transport group Govia.
London Midland was created as a result of Gov ...
in November 2007. In 2006, 321407 and 321423 were loaned by Silverlink to Northern Rail
Northern Rail, branded as Northern, was an English train operating company owned by Serco-Abellio that operated the Northern Rail franchise from 2004 until 2016. It was the primary passenger train operator in Northern England, and operated the ...
while the 321/9s were being overhauled. In 2007, 321408 and 321428 were loaned by Silverlink to c2c
Trenitalia c2c, trading as c2c, is a British train operating company that operates commuter services from its London terminus at to parts of East London and south Essex along the London, Tilbury and Southend line, as part of the Essex Thame ...
operating services out of Fenchurch Street
Fenchurch Street is a street in London, England, linking Aldgate at its eastern end with Lombard Street and Gracechurch Street in the west. It is a well-known thoroughfare in the City of London financial district and is the site of many cor ...
while one Class 357 was repaired and another was undergoing tests in the Czech Republic.
Following the delivery of the Class 350/2 fleet, 13 Class 321/4s (401–410, 418–420) were transferred from London Midland to First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect (FCC) was a British train operating company, owned by FirstGroup, that operated the Thameslink and Great Northern route, Great Northern sectors from April 2006 to September 2014 which later became the Thameslink, Southern ...
and overhauled by Wabtec
Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation, commonly known as Wabtec, is an American company formed by the merger of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO) and MotivePower in 1999. It is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Wab ...
's Doncaster Works
Doncaster Railway Works is a railway workshop located in Doncaster, England.
Also referred to as ''The Plant'', it was established by the Great Northern Railway (England), Great Northern Railway in 1853, replacing the previous works in Boston, ...
. These passed with the franchise to Great Northern in September 2014. London Midland also released 17 (421–437) for transfer to National Express East Anglia. The remaining seven (411–417) passed to Abellio ScotRail
Abellio ScotRail, operating services under the name ScotRail, was the national train operating company of Scotland. A subsidiary of the Netherlands-based transport conglomerate Abellio (transport company), Abellio, it operated the ScotRail (br ...
in 2015, after being converted to three-car Class 320/4 at Doncaster Works.
In 2017, ten (402, 405–410, 418–420) were transferred from Great Northern to Abellio Greater Anglia. As at May 2018 the remaining three (401, 403, 404) are to be converted by Wabtec at Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of Mernóc", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...
to Class 320/4 for use with Abellio ScotRail. Another two were to follow.
Class 321/9
The final batch of three Class 321 units was constructed in 1991 and classified subclass /9. These units had a similar formation to the earlier units except that there was no first class seating. They were ordered by Regional Railways for use on West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
Metro is the passenger information brand used by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in England. It was formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (WYPTE), at the same time as the metropolitan county of West Yo ...
services on the newly electrified Doncaster to Leeds route, entering service in 1993. From 1995 they also worked on Wharfedale line services from Leeds to Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, in Northern England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within ...
. In March 1997 they passed with the Regional Railways North East franchise to Northern Spirit, which became Arriva Trains Northern in April 2001. In June 1998 they were loaned to GNER to operate Leeds to London King's Cross services while its InterCity 225
The InterCity 225 is an electric push-pull train, push-pull high speed train in the United Kingdom, comprising a British Rail Class 91, Class 91 electric locomotive, nine British Rail Mark 4, Mark 4 coaches and a Driving Van Trailer (DVT). The ...
fleet was grounded with mechanical issues. All three passed with the franchise to Northern Rail
Northern Rail, branded as Northern, was an English train operating company owned by Serco-Abellio that operated the Northern Rail franchise from 2004 until 2016. It was the primary passenger train operator in Northern England, and operated the ...
in December 2004.
The Class 321/9 units were refurbished at Hunslet-Barclay, Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of Mernóc", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...
from late 2006 to early 2007. The refurbishment included a new livery, refurbished interiors and reliability improvements, similar to the Class 322 EMUs, which were also refurbished at Kilmarnock.
The units transferred to Arriva Rail North
Arriva Rail North Limited, branded as Northern by Arriva, was a train operating company in Northern England which began operating the Northern franchise on 1 April 2016 and inherited units from the previous operator Northern Rail. A subsidiary ...
in April 2016, and then Northern Trains
Northern Trains, Trade name, trading as Northern, is a British train operating company that operates Commuter rail, commuter and Inter-city rail, medium-distance intercity services in the North of England. It is owned by DfT Operator for the Dep ...
on 1 March 2020. With the Class 331s now in service, the Class 321/9s were transferred to Greater Anglia. They were leased to allow Greater Anglia's Class 360s to move to East Midlands Railway
East Midlands Railway (EMR; legally Transport UK East Midlands Limited) is a British train operating company owned by Transport UK Group, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise.
Originally owned by Abellio (transport compan ...
.
All 321/9 units were scrapped in 2022.
Current operations
Varamis Rail
In March 2021, Eversholt Rail Group
Eversholt Rail Group is a British rolling stock company (ROSCO). Together with Angel Trains and Porterbrook, it is one of the three original ROSCOs created as a result of the privatisation of British Rail.
Eversholt was established in March 19 ...
announced its intention to convert 321334 for use as a parcels train. In July 2021, Eversholt and Wabtec revealed 321334 in the Swift Express livery. If successful further units could be converted.
In November 2021 it was announced that 4 more Class 321s would be converted to Swift Express, with the first of these units expected to be delivered in February 2022. In 2022 it was announced that an unnamed customer had secured its first unit, later confirmed as Varamis Rail which launched a service between Scotland and Birmingham in January using unit 321334. The final two were scheduled to be completed in September 2022. In September 2023, it was announced that Eversholt had abandoned the Swift Express project despite four Class 321 units having been converted. Varamis Rail announced that it was considering taking over the project. In early 2024 Varamis Rail bought the four converted units from Eversholt.
Former operations
Silverlink / London Midland / London Overground
Silverlink inherited 37 of the 48 Class 321/4 units. In September 2003, Silverlink's Class 321 units were temporarily withdrawn following the discovery of loose bolts on brake discs in some units.
In September 2004, London Euston to Birmingham local services were divided into two separate services: Silverlink retained London to Northampton services, while fellow National Express
Mobico Group, formerly National Express Group, is a British multinational public transport company with headquarters in Birmingham, England. Domestically it currently operates bus and coach services under brands including National Express. Th ...
subsidiary Central Trains
Central Trains was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by National Express that operated a variety of local and inter-regional trains from 2 March 1997 until 11 November 2007.
Overview
Created out of the Central division of ...
took over all local services between Northampton and Birmingham. Initially, Central Trains hired Class 321 units from Silverlink to work their new services, but the arrival of Class 350/1s meant that very few Class 321 units were then required.
To accommodate this sub-lease, three Class 321/3 units were transferred from National Express East Anglia
National Express East Anglia (NXEA) was a train operating company in England owned by National Express that operated the Greater Anglia franchise from April 2004 until February 2012. Originally trading as One, it was rebranded National Expres ...
to Silverlink. These were not permitted north of Rugby due to lack of the National Radio Network system (Eastern Region units only had the Cab Secure Radio System used for Driver Only Operated Passenger services) and therefore could not be used on Central Trains services (although they occasionally appeared on services to Rugby at weekends due to the line being closed between Rugby and Birmingham New Street). This ceased in late 2005 with the introduction of Class 350 trains on the Birmingham to Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
route. One of these sub-leased units was involved in a low-speed derailment at Watford Yard.
In May 2007, Central Trains began using Class 321 units on some morning services from Birmingham New Street to Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
.
In November 2007, London Midland
London Midland was a train operating company in England which operated the West Midlands franchise between 11 November 2007 and 10 December 2017. It was owned by the British transport group Govia.
London Midland was created as a result of Gov ...
took over operation of the Class 321 fleet previously used by Silverlink and Central Trains. An order was placed by London Midland for 37 Class 350/2s to replace the Class 321s.
London Midland withdrew most, retaining seven units (411–417). They were used for peak hour workings between London Euston and Northampton and on the Abbey line
The Abbey Line, also known as the St Albans Abbey branch line, is a railway line from Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey. The route passes through town and countryside in the county of Hertfordshire, just outside the boundaries of the Oyster ...
. In 2015, all seven were withdrawn for transfer to Abellio ScotRail
Abellio ScotRail, operating services under the name ScotRail, was the national train operating company of Scotland. A subsidiary of the Netherlands-based transport conglomerate Abellio (transport company), Abellio, it operated the ScotRail (br ...
to operate on Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
suburban lines, with the last withdrawn on 20 September 2015. They were replaced by Class 319s. Two (413/414) briefly operated for London Overground Rail Operations in late 2015, being revinyled in London Overground
London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a Urban rail in the United Kingdom, suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, it now serves a large part of Greate ...
livery. The cascaded Class 321s were reformed to three-car units, by removing the TSO vehicle and reclassified as Class 320/4s.
First Capital Connect / Great Northern
First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect (FCC) was a British train operating company, owned by FirstGroup, that operated the Thameslink and Great Northern route, Great Northern sectors from April 2006 to September 2014 which later became the Thameslink, Southern ...
received thirteen units (401–410, 418–420) from London Midland
London Midland was a train operating company in England which operated the West Midlands franchise between 11 November 2007 and 10 December 2017. It was owned by the British transport group Govia.
London Midland was created as a result of Gov ...
, following deliveries of the new Class 350/2s. The units worked on the Great Northern services from London King's Cross to Peterborough
Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...
and Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
from December 2010 until May 2017. They passed with the franchise to Great Northern in September 2014.
All were replaced in 2016 by Class 387s, cascaded from the Thameslink route. Ten (402, 405–410 and 418–420) moved to Ilford depot for use by Greater Anglia
Greater Anglia (legal name Transport UK East Anglia Limited) is a British train operating company owned as a joint venture by Transport UK Group and Mitsui & Co. It operates the East Anglia franchise, providing the commuter and inter-city se ...
, with the remaining three (401, 403, 404) converted to Class 320/4s for Abellio ScotRail
Abellio ScotRail, operating services under the name ScotRail, was the national train operating company of Scotland. A subsidiary of the Netherlands-based transport conglomerate Abellio (transport company), Abellio, it operated the ScotRail (br ...
.
Northern
Arriva Trains Northern inherited three Class 321/9 units. These units operated on the Leeds
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
to Doncaster
Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...
Wakefield line service and occasionally on the Wharfedale
Wharfedale ( ) is one of the Yorkshire Dales. It is situated at source in North Yorkshire and then flows into West Yorkshire and forms the upper valley of the River Wharfe. Towns and villages in Wharfedale (downstream, from west to east) includ ...
and Airedale
Airedale is a valley, or Dale (landform), dale, in North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, England. It is named after the River Aire, which flows through it. The upper valley, from Malham Cove to Airton, is known as Malhamdale, named after the vill ...
lines alongside Class 322 and Class 333s. All passed on to Northern Rail
Northern Rail, branded as Northern, was an English train operating company owned by Serco-Abellio that operated the Northern Rail franchise from 2004 until 2016. It was the primary passenger train operator in Northern England, and operated the ...
in 2004 and were refurbished in 2006/07. Having passed with the franchise to Arriva Rail North
Arriva Rail North Limited, branded as Northern by Arriva, was a train operating company in Northern England which began operating the Northern franchise on 1 April 2016 and inherited units from the previous operator Northern Rail. A subsidiary ...
and Northern Trains
Northern Trains, Trade name, trading as Northern, is a British train operating company that operates Commuter rail, commuter and Inter-city rail, medium-distance intercity services in the North of England. It is owned by DfT Operator for the Dep ...
, all were replaced by Class 331s with the last withdrawn in 2020. These were transferred to Greater Anglia
Greater Anglia (legal name Transport UK East Anglia Limited) is a British train operating company owned as a joint venture by Transport UK Group and Mitsui & Co. It operates the East Anglia franchise, providing the commuter and inter-city se ...
for temporary use until replaced by Class 720s.
Greater Anglia
First Great Eastern
First Great Eastern was a train operating company in England owned by FirstGroup that operated the Great Eastern franchise from January 1997 until March 2004.
Services
First Great Eastern operated all stops and limited stops services on the ...
inherited all 66 Class 321/3 and 11 Class 321/4. The East Anglia franchise was subsequently taken over by National Express East Anglia
National Express East Anglia (NXEA) was a train operating company in England owned by National Express that operated the Greater Anglia franchise from April 2004 until February 2012. Originally trading as One, it was rebranded National Expres ...
, initially branded 'one', and then subsequently by Greater Anglia
Greater Anglia (legal name Transport UK East Anglia Limited) is a British train operating company owned as a joint venture by Transport UK Group and Mitsui & Co. It operates the East Anglia franchise, providing the commuter and inter-city se ...
. A further 16 were added, upon release from London Midland
London Midland was a train operating company in England which operated the West Midlands franchise between 11 November 2007 and 10 December 2017. It was owned by the British transport group Govia.
London Midland was created as a result of Gov ...
. In 2016, ten of the sets formerly operated by Great Northern also transferred to Greater Anglia.
An additional three units, all Class 321/9s, were transferred to Greater Anglia from Northern Trains
Northern Trains, Trade name, trading as Northern, is a British train operating company that operates Commuter rail, commuter and Inter-city rail, medium-distance intercity services in the North of England. It is owned by DfT Operator for the Dep ...
in 2020 in order to provide capacity during the introduction of GA's new Class 720 fleet.
The 321s were primarily used for services from London Liverpool Street to , , , (extending to during peak time), , , and Colchester Town, but could operate services on any electrified route if other trains failed. These operated as four, eight or twelve-car sets.
After being awarded the new East Anglia franchise in August 2016, Greater Anglia placed an order for Class 720s which replaced the 321s despite the Renatus project. The first of the new trains entered service in November 2020.
From early 2023, the units only operated services from to and from to , alongside units on the latter, as well as one service each day between and .
The last scheduled Class 321 workings took place on 3 April 2023, with the class subsequently being used on an ad-hoc basis. Following a farewell tour on 29 April 2023, Greater Anglia completely withdrew its Class 321 fleet.
Renatus project
In December 2013 Eversholt rebuilt 321448 as a demonstrator at Doncaster Works
Doncaster Railway Works is a railway workshop located in Doncaster, England.
Also referred to as ''The Plant'', it was established by the Great Northern Railway (England), Great Northern Railway in 1853, replacing the previous works in Boston, ...
for a proposed upgrade. It featured a new livery, completely refitted interior including two examples of sitting arrangements including 2+2 and 2+3, and a new First Class area. The demonstrator also featured air conditioning, not previously seen on Class 321 trains, along with fixed panel windows to replace opening windows and a new Vossloh Kiepe traction package.
The production run covered 30 units. The Vossloh Kiepe traction package was installed at Wolverton Works
Wolverton railway works, known locally as Wolverton Works or just The Works, was established in Wolverton (Milton Keynes), Wolverton, Buckinghamshire#Ceremonial county, Buckinghamshire, by the London and Birmingham Railway Company in 1838 at t ...
with the rest of the work performed at Doncaster. The first was completed in December 2016. In 2017 the prototype returned to Doncaster to be modified to the same specifications as the production units, including being refitted with hopper windows.
Aborted proposals
Battery conversion
In 2022 it was announced that Eversholt and Vivarail were working on a design to convert 321s to battery units that could operate between 20-30 miles on battery power. The battery units were planned to be used on routes in Scotland. Due to Vivarail going into administration, in December 2022, the project was cancelled.
Hydrogen conversion
In May 2018, plans were announced by Eversholt and Alstom
Alstom SA () is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional ...
to convert a number of Class 321 units to run on hydrogen
Hydrogen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol H and atomic number 1. It is the lightest and abundance of the chemical elements, most abundant chemical element in the universe, constituting about 75% of all baryon, normal matter ...
fuel-cells, as a way of replacing diesel-powered trains on lines that are unlikely to be electrified
Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. In the context of history of technology and economic development, electrification refe ...
. The details of the conversion project, dubbed 'Breeze', were published in January 2019, with an expectation that units could be ready for service in 2022although this later slipped to 2024.
In November 2021 Alstom and Eversholt announced that they had decided to switch their primary focus to developing a hydrogen-fuelled variant of Alstom's ''Aventra'' EMU, on the grounds that the pool of convertible Class 321 units was too small to support the market they envisaged for hydrogen-powered trains in the UK, and that the Aventra's advanced technology and reduced requirement for routine maintenance were advantages in both manufacture and operations. Although the companies stated that they would maintain the "option" of converting existing trains in the future, the Breeze project was ended in the first half of 2022 and at least one of the Class 321 units selected for conversion (321448) was sent for scrapping.
Further use
In April 2023, Eastern Rail Services acquired 321434 with the intent of making it available for filming projects.
Fleet details
Vehicle numbering
Individual vehicles are numbered in the ranges as follows:
Named units
*321312: ''Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...
''
*321321: ''NSPCC Essex Full Stop''
*321334: ''Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
''
*321336: '' Geoffrey Freeman Allen''
*321342: ''R Barnes''
*321343: ''RSA Railway Study Association''
*321351: ''London Southend Airport
London Southend Airport is an international airport situated on the outskirts of Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England, approximately from the Charing Cross#Official use as central point, centre of London. The airport straddles the boundaries b ...
'' (Formerly ''Gurkha
The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with the endonym Gorkhali ( Nepali: गोर्खाली ), are soldiers native to the Indian subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of North India.
The Gurkha units consist of Nepali and ...
'')
*321361: ''Phoenix''
*321403: ''Stewart Fleming Signalman King's Cross''
*321407: ''Hertfordshire WRVS''
*321413: ''Bill Green''
*321425: ''Silver Service'' (Formerly ''Bletchley Seven'')
*321427: ''Major Tim Warr''
*321428: ''The Essex Commuter''
*321439: ''Chelmsford Cathedral Festival''
*321444: ''Essex Lifeboats''
*321446: ''George Mullings''
References
Notes
Further reading
*
{{British Rail EMU
321
321
Train-related introductions in 1988
25 kV AC multiple units