List of British Rail electric multiple unit classes facts for kids

This page lists every electric-powered multiple unit allocated a TOPS classification or used on the mainline network since 1948 (i.e. British Railways and post-privatisation). British Rail operated a wide variety of electric multiple units for use on electrified lines.

• AC units operate off 25 kV alternating current (AC) from overhead wires. Where clearances for the overhead wires on the Great Eastern Main Line and London, Tilbury and Southend railway routes were below standard, a reduced voltage of 6.25 kV AC was used. The Midland Railway units used 6.6 kV AC. Under the computer numbering, AC units (including mixed-voltage units that can also work off a DC supply) were given a class in the range 300-399.
• DC units operate off 650-850 V direct current (DC) from a third rail on the Southern Region and North London, Merseyside and Tyneside networks. The Manchester-Bury Railway line used 1,200 V DC from a side-contact third rail. The Manchester South Junction & Altrincham and "Woodhead" and initially the Great Eastern Railway routes used 1,500 V DC from overhead wires. Under the computer numbering, DC units were given a class in the range 400-599.

AC EMUs and dual-voltage EMUs

First generation

TOPS class	Pre-TOPS class	Name or Information	Image
Ex-MR units		Lancaster-Morecambe-Heysham
Class 300		Proposed parcels units
	AM1	25kV AC prototype units
Class 302	AM2	London-Tilbury-Southend
Class 303	AM3	Strathclyde
Class 304	AM4	Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham
Class 305	AM5	Chingford, Enfield
Class 306	AM6	Shenfield (inner-suburban)
Class 307	AM7	Southend (outer-suburban)
Class 308	AM8	Eastern Region lines
Class 309	AM9	Clacton Express
Class 310	AM10	Euston outer-suburban
Class 311	AM11	Strathclyde

Second generation

First Great Eastern Class 312 units nos. 312718 and 312721 at Kirby Cross railway station.

First Capital Connect Class 313no. 313060 at Kings Cross railway station.

TOPS class	Built for	Current Operator(s)	Builder	Number built	Image
Class 312	BR Eastern Region (Great Eastern and Great Northern suburban) and BR London Midland Region (Euston suburban)	(out of service)	BREL York 1966-74	49 x 4-car sets
Class 313	BR Eastern Region (Great Northern suburban)	London Overground, First Capital Connect	BREL York 1975-78	64 x 3-car sets
Class 314	BR Scottish Region (Argyle Line)	First ScotRail	BREL York 1979	16 x 3-car sets
Class 315	BR Eastern Region (Great Eastern suburban)	National Express East Anglia	BREL York 1980-81	61 x 4-car sets
Class 316 (I)	(AC Networker prototype)	(never used in passenger service, now out of service)	converted from class 210 and 313 cars	1 x 4-car set
Class 316 (II)	(test unit)	(never used in passenger service, now out of service)	converted from class 307	1 x 3-car set
Class 317	Network SouthEast ('Bedpan' and Great Northern lines)	National Express East Anglia, First Capital Connect	BREL York 1981-85	72 x 4-car sets
Class 318	Provincial ScotRail (for Strathclyde PTE)	First Scotrail	BREL York 1985-87	21 x 3-car sets
Class 319	Network SouthEast (Thameslink services)	First Capital Connect, Southern, Northern	BREL York 1985-88	86 x 4-car sets
Class 320	Provincial ScotRail (for Strathclyde PTE)	First ScotRail	BREL York 1986	22 x 3-car sets
Class 321	Network SouthEast (Great Eastern and Euston services); and Regional Railways (for West Yorkshire PTE)	National Express East Anglia, Northern Rail, London Midland	BREL York 1986-89	117 x 4-car sets
Class 322	Network SouthEast (Stanstead Express service)	First ScotRail	BREL York 1988-90	5 x 4-car sets
Class 325	Rail Express Systems (for Royal Mail)	FirstGBRf	ABB Derby 1995	16 x 4-car units

Modern Generation

These use electrical switching devices (thyristors and transistors) and have electronic power control.

TOPS class	Built for	Current Operator(s)	Builder	Number Built	Image
Class 323	Regional Railways (for West Midlands PTE and Greater Manchester PTE)	Northern Rail, London Midland	Hunslet 1992-93	43 x 3-car sets
Class 331	original classification of Class 332	-	-	-
Class 332	Heathrow Express	Heathrow Express	Siemens/CAF 1997-2002	9 x 4-car sets 5 x 5-car sets
Class 333	Arriva Trains Northern (for West Yorkshire PTE)	Northern Rail	Siemens/CAF 2001-03	18 x 4-car sets
Class 334 Juniper	ScotRail (for Strathclyde PTE)	First ScotRail	Alstom Birmingham 1999-2001	40 x 3-car sets
Class 341 Networker	proposed units for Crossrail	-	(never built)	-
Class 342 Networker	proposed units for CTRL Domestic Services	-	(never built)
Class 345 Aventra	Crossrail	Crossrail (TfL Rail)	Bombardier Derby 2016-2019	70 x 9-car sets (initially 7-car sets until 2019)
Class 350 Desiro	Silverlink, Central Trains	London Midland	Siemens 2004-05	30 x 4-car sets
Class 357 Electrostar	LTS Rail	c2c	Adtranz/Bombardier Derby 1999-2002	74 x 4-car sets
Class 360 Desiro	First Great Eastern, Heathrow Connect	National Express East Anglia, Heathrow Connect	Siemens 2002-06	21 x 4-car sets 5 x 5-car sets
Class 365 Networker	Network SouthEast (Great Northern and South Eastern services)	First Capital Connect	ABB York 1994-95	41 x 4-car sets
Class 371 Networker	proposed units for Thameslink 2000	-	(never built)	-
Class 375 Electrostar	Connex South Eastern, South Eastern Trains	Southeastern	Adtranz/Bombardier Derby 1999-2004	10 x 3-car sets 102 x 4-car sets
Class 376 Electrostar	South Eastern Trains	Southeastern	Bombardier Derby 2004-05	36 x 5-car sets
Class 377 Electrostar	Southern	Southern	Bombardier Derby 2001-05	28 x 3-car sets 154 x 4-car sets
Class 378 Capitalstar	London Overground	London Overground	Bombardier Derby 2008-2011
Class 380 Desiro	First ScotRail	(not yet in service)	Siemens (under construction)
Class 381 Networker	proposed Network SouthEast express units	-	(never built)	-

High Speed Trains

Virgin Trains Class 390 no. 390029 at Birmingham New Street

TOPS class	Built for	Current Operator(s)	Builder	Number Built	Image
Class 370 APT-P	prototype Advanced Passenger Train	(out of service)	BREL Derby 1979	6 x 7-car half sets 2 spare cars
Class 373 TGV	Eurostar	Eurostar SNCF	various builders 1992-95	14 x 8-car half sets 64 x 10-car half sets 1 spare car
Class 390 Pendolino	Virgin West Coast	Virgin Trains	Alstom Birmingham 2001-05	53 x 9-car sets
Class 395 Javelin	Southeastern	(not yet in service)	Hitachi, Ltd. (under construction)	29 x 6-car sets

DC EMUs

Southern Region units

The Southern Railway and its successor, the Southern Region of British Rail, used three letter codes to classify their DC EMU fleets, as shown after the TOPS class numbers.

Pre-Nationalisation

4Sub unit no. 8143 at the National Railway Museum

Mark 1 and 2 Bodyshell

Gatwick Express Class 489 unit no. 489110 at London Victoria.

South Eastern Trains Class 411 unit no. 1586 at London Victoria.

Tube stock

Network SouthEast branded Class 483 unit no.483001

TOPS class	SR class	Name or Information	Image
Class 482 (II)		Waterloo & City Line sold to LU
Class 483		Isle of Wight ex LU 1938 stock
Class 485	4Vec	ex LU Standard stock
Class 486	3Tis	ex LU Standard stock
Class 487		Waterloo & City Line

Modern EMUs

South West Trains Class 455 unit no. 455713 at Wimbledon railway station.

Southeastern Class 466 unit no. 466018 at Bromley North railway station.

TOPS class	SR class	Name or Information	Image
Class 424		Networker Classic Prototype
Class 442	5Wes	Wessex Express
Class 444	5Des	Desiro
Class 445	4Pep	Second Generation EMU prototype - 4 car
Class 446	2Pep	Second Generation EMU prototype - 2 car
Class 447		Proposed Battersea Bullet
Class 450	4Des	Desiro
Class 455
Class 456
Class 457		DC Networker prototype
Class 458	4Jop	Juniper
Class 460	8Gat	Juniper - Gatwick Express
Class 465		Networker - 4 car
Class 466		Networker - 2 car
Class 471		Proposed Networker - Main Line Express

Other DC units

The 500 series classes were reserved for DC (third/fourth rail) EMUs not from the Southern Region. This included the DC (third/fourth rail) lines in North London, Merseyside and Greater Manchester. The DC electric network around Tyneside had been de-electrified by the time TOPS was introduced, and the stock withdrawn or transferred to the Southern Region.

Merseyrail Class 507 unit no. 507009 at Liverpool Central railway station.

TOPS classes

Class	Info	Image
Class 501	North London stock
Class 502	Liverpool-Southport-Ormskirk stock
Class 503	Mersey-Wirral stock
Class 504	Manchester-Bury stock
Class 505	Manchester-Altrincham stock
Class 506	Manchester-Hadfield/Glossop stock
Class 507	Merseyside stock
Class 508	Merseyside stock
Class 510	Original classification of Class 455

Pre-TOPS classes

• Ex-LNER Units (Tyneside stock)
• Ex-LNWR Units (North London stock)
• Ex-LYR Units (Manchester-Bury stock)

Battery electric multiple unit (BEMU)

This was a one-off unit, withdrawn before the introduction of TOPS.

• 79998/79999

Related pages

• British Rail locomotive and multiple unit numbering and classification
• SR multiple unit numbering and classification
• British Rail coach designations

Images for kids

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  Island Line Class 483 unit no. 483004 at Smallbrook Junction