#3472
British Rail Class 305
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by British Rail· from 1959· class of 71 British electric multiple units
1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Scotrail 305501 at Edinburgh Waverly: Alzarian16· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
British Rail Class 305 was a group of 71 alternating current (AC) electric multiple units that operated in England between 1959 and 2002. Initially known as AM5, it became Class 305 when TOPS was introduced in 1973.
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 67 years ago, in 1959.
- 60.7 m long: about 13 cars parked nose to tail.
- Seats 363: 7 full city buses (~50 seats each).
- Served for 43 years (1959–2002).
multiple unit: A self-propelled train: motors are spread under the passenger cars, so no separate locomotive.
spec sheet
- built
- 1959
- in service from
- 1959
- retired
- 2002
- status
- retired
- number built
- 71
- kind
- multiple unit
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- British Rail, Holgate Road carriage works, Doncaster Works
- operators
- British Rail, First North Western, National Express ScotRail, Eastern Region of British Railways
- top speed
- 121 km/h
- power
- —
- formation
- Class 305/1:, BDTSO, Battery Driving Trailer Second Open+MBS, Motor Brake Second Open+DTSO, Driving Trailer Second Open…
- length
- 60.7 m
- capacity
- 363 passengers
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q849789, Wikipedia: British Rail Class 305 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-11-14.