#4622· Class 318
British Rail Class 318
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by British Rail Engineering Limited· from 1986· British electric multiple-unit passenger trainset
.jpg)
3 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. 318267 + 318270 at Cumbernauld 15 06 24 (53795911669): Foulger Rail Photos from Basingstoke, UK· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 2. Hyndland - Abellio 318262 Cumbernauld service: Geof Sheppard· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 3. British Rail Class 318 at Gourock: User:Dave souza· CC BY-SA 2.5
what is it?
The British Rail Class 318 is an electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger train which operates in west central Scotland. The units were introduced on 29 September 1986 as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast Line between Glasgow Central and Ayr/Ardrossan with alternating current (AC) overhead lines. Their use was extended to Largs in January 1987.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 40 years ago, in 1986.
- Top speed is 1.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- 19.8 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
- Seats 216: 4 full city buses (~50 seats each).
- Still in service after 40 years.
multiple unit: A self-propelled train: motors are spread under the passenger cars, so no separate locomotive.
spec sheet
- built
- 1986
- in service from
- 1986
- status
- in service
- number built
- 21
- kind
- multiple unit
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- British Rail Engineering Limited, Holgate Road carriage works
- operators
- ScotRail Trains (2022-), First ScotRail (2004-2015), National Express ScotRail, Abellio ScotRail (2015-2022), British Rail ScotRail
- top speed
- 145 km/h
- power
- —
- formation
- 3 cars per unit:, DTSOL, Driver's cab, Trailer, Standard class, Open saloon, Lavatory-MSO, Motor car, Standard class, O…
- length
- 19.8 m
- capacity
- 216 passengers
- Dutch name
- Class 318
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q384924, Wikipedia: British Rail Class 318 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.