CLASS 322 MULTIPLE UNITS

322483 at Edinburgh Waverley322483 at Edinburgh Waverley 25.11.09 History

The class 322s were originally built to operate on the Liverpool Street-Stansted Airport service in 1990. They are a 4 car variation of the 3 car class 320s which operate on various suburban services around the Glasgow area. The only differences between both fleets being that the class 322s had an extra trailer carriage and were fitted with toilets from new.  

Originally arriving on loan from fellow National Express franchise, WAGN, as a stopgap to replace the class 305 fleet, the class 322s were transferred north to Shields depot during 2001 for use on the Edinburgh Waverley-North Berwick service.    WAGN lost their franchise in 2004 and the class 322s were recalled for use in the East Anglia area.  As a stopgap, Scotrail hired in a small fleet of EWS class 90s and some off lease ex Virgin Trains Mark 3s and DVTs to operate the service.   Upon First gaining the Scotrail franchise in 2005, they managed to negotiate the return of the class 322s to Scotrail, with all 5 units returning north. The reintroduction to service for the class 322s also saw some service enhancements, with limited services to and from Glasgow Central via Carstairs, Carluke and Motherwell, mainly at peak times and usually to allow units to travel to and from Shields Depot in Glasgow for maintenance.

Between 2005 and 2007, each unit received an interior refresh, which included increasing the seating capacity from 252 to 293 seats and an exterior repaint into the First Scotrail 'Barbie' livery.    

Following the introduction of the Class 380 fleet and with the Class 322 fleet going off lease in Summer 2011, the class 322s were withdrawn from service at the end of the winter timetable in May 2011.  The 322s then moved on to Northern Rail, where they were regularly used along with 321/9s on Skipton - Leeds / Bradford and services out of Doncaster until they were replaced by class 331s in Summer 2020.   They then moved to Greater Anglia as a stop gap until new units arrived, finally being withdrawn in August 2022 and scrapped the following month.

322485 at Carstairs322485 stops at Carstairs with a North Berwick - Glasgow Central service 1.8.09 Liveries (Scotrail period)

When introduced to service with Scotrail, 322481-483 & 485 were painted white with a yellow band below the windows, whilst 484 wore the North West Trains blue livery with gold stars.  These were replaced by First Barbie livery between 2005 and 2007.

Unusual workings

The 322's rarely saw use on other lines however there were a couple of exceptions! The Champions League final was held at Hampden in 2002 and after every big game or concert, extra trains are put on as express services from Mount Florida or Kings Park to Glasgow Central.  On this night, a pair of class 322s running as an 8 car set were used as one of the extras to help clear the crowd after the game.   Another rare working occurred in 2010 when 322482 saw use on a service from Glasgow Central to Ayr, just a wee bit off it's usual patch!

Namings

During the first spell that the 322s operated in Scotland, 322485 was named 'North Berwick Flyer 1850 - 2000', the nameplate having been transferred from 318256. During the second spell and following it's refurbishment, the name was transferred to 322481.

Class 322 Unit Formation summary