Three Class 320/4s entered traffic with ScotRail this week.
The three-car electric multiple units have transferred from London Midland, where they had operated as four-car Class 321/4s.
They have been modified by Wabtec Rail at Doncaster and have entered traffic with SR to boost capacity during the closure of Glasgow Queen Street.
- For more on this story, read RAIL 797, published on March 30.
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FrankH - 23/03/2016 14:05
Transferred to boost capacity poses 1 question. Why take 3x4 car units and make them 3x3 car units. You've lost 25% passenger capacity. They could have boosted it more by leaving them as 4 car units.
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Keith Ashington - 24/03/2016 00:06
Scotrail's platforms are 6 cars long; by reducing the size to 3 cars you can actually double up to 6 cars. Using 4 car trains would have reduced capacity by 1/3.
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FrankH - 06/04/2016 16:56
Was at Polmadie today and saw one go past coupled to a similar looking unit scotrail liveried unit and thought that might be the reason
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Alasdair - 23/03/2016 18:12
Trains have to be combat able with 320s and 318s which operate on routes wher max length has been reduced to 6 vehicles.
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Norman H - 23/03/2016 22:06
Frank H is quite right - many services run as 3 car - these 4 car units should have been kept as such rather than cutting out one coach. Probable justification would be to retain flexibility of an all 3 car fleet - and 4 might not fit easily in depots - but what that ignores what travellers want - space and a seat preferred!
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Norman H - 23/03/2016 22:06
Frank H is quite right - many services run as 3 car - these 4 car units should have been kept as such rather than cutting out one coach. Probable justification would be to retain flexibility of an all 3 car fleet - and 4 might not fit easily in depots - but what that ignores what travellers want - space and a seat preferred!
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Andrewjgwilt1989 - 26/03/2016 15:25
Great Northern could also cascade their 13 Class 321's to Abellio Scotrail unless its to be cascaded to Northern Rail or Abellio Greater Anglia along with Class 317's when the Class 377/2's & Class 377/5's will be cascaded to be used on Great Northern from Southern & Thameslink once the Class 700/1's and Class 700/0's are to be in service from April.
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Andrewjgwilt1989 - 26/03/2016 15:30
And also Class 385's that are currently being built will replace the Class 320's and Class 380's on other routes.
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