West Midlands bids farewell to its ‘workhorse’ Class 323s

After 30 years of service, the last of the West Midlands Class 323 electric multiple units (EMUs) ran on Birmingham’s busy Cross-City Line at the end of September.

It followed a phased introduction of the replacement Class 730 EMUs over the summer.

The ‘323s’ have been a workhorse of the West Midlands region since they were introduced in the mid-1990s.

In all, 26 three-car trains were built by Leeds-based Hunslet. The majority have now been cascaded to Northern Trains.

The trains, which are known for the distinctive whining noise they make when accelerating, have clocked up hundreds of millions of passenger journeys, travelling millions of miles across the West Midlands rail network.

The introduction of the new Class 730s, built at Alstom in Derby, was initially delayed by manufacturer issues and the COVID pandemic. A phased introduction on the Cross-City Line was necessary because of issues with driver training.

To mark the end of the ‘323s’, West Midlands Railway partnered with the Branch Line Society to run a special day trip on board a pair of the final Class 323s in service on September 29. The event raised money for Scotty’s Little Soldiers and Brain Tumour Research.

WMR Engineering Director John Doughty said: “We know many of our customers, colleagues and rail enthusiasts have a soft spot for the Class 323s, so we were delighted to arrange a charity tour with the Branch Line Society.

“We hope the event gave everybody a chance to share their memories of the Class 323s and say a fond farewell, while raising money for good causes.”

The farewell trip featured two coupled three-car units operating a day-long round trip between Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street. The event was primarily run by volunteers.