British Rail Class 323

British Rail Class 323
British Rail Class 323
	Northern Trains Class 323 at Kearsley in October 2025
	Interior of a refurbished Arriva Rail North Class 323 unit
Stock type	Electric multiple unit
In service	7 February 1994 – present
Manufacturers	Hunslet Transportation Projects; Holec Ridderkerk UK;
Order nos.	DMS vehicles: 31112 & 31114; PTS vehicles: 31113;
Built at	Leeds, United Kingdom; Raimeca, France;
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
Number in service	34
Successor	Class 382 (Northern Trains (planned)); Class 730 (West Midlands Trains);
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;
Owner	Porterbrook
Operators	Current:; Northern Trains; Former:; Central Trains; First North Western; London Midland; Northern Rail; Regional Railways; West Midlands Trains;
Depots	Current:; Allerton (Liverpool); Future:; Manchester International; Former:; Bletchley (Milton Keynes); Longsight (Manchester); Oxley (Wolverhampton; Soho (Birmingham);
Lines served	Current:; Crewe–Manchester line; Glossop line; Stafford–Manchester line; Chat Moss line; Liverpool–Wigan line; Future:; Manchester Victoria-Stalybridge; Former:; Cross-City 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)
Wheel diameter	840-775 mm
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
Power output	1,168 kW (1,566 hp) total
Gear ratio	84 : 19
Acceleration	0.77 m/s2
Deceleration	Service: 0.71 m/s2; Emergency: 1.17 m/s2
Electric system	25 kV 50 Hz AC Overhead
Current collection	Pantograph (Brecknell Willis)
UIC classification	Bo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′
Bogies	DMS vehicles: RFS BP62; TS vehicles: RFS BT52;
Braking systems	Westcode EP (disc) and regenerative
Safety systems	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 mockups 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.

The units are known for their rapid acceleration, being some of the fastest-accelerating trains on the UK rail network. Of the 43 units built, 34 are in service with Northern Trains, with the remaining 9 being in storage.

The units are expected to continue in service until the early 2030s and will eventually be replaced by new-build Class 382 units.