#3707
British Rail Class 309
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by British Rail· from 1963· class of 2- and 4-car electric multiple units
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6 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Class-309-Blue-Gray-Original-Windows-Liverpool-St-Stn: Spsmiler· Public domain
- 2. 21.03.81 London Liverpool Street 309.625 (5958456051): Phil Richards from London, UK· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 3. Class-309-Blue-Gray-New-Windows-Liverpool-St-Stn: Spsmiler· Public domain
- 4. 977965 DMBS Class 309: kitmasterbloke· CC BY 2.0
- 5. Clacton sunset - Class 309 at Chappel & Wakes Colne: kitmasterbloke· CC BY 2.0
- 6. Class 309 coach 75965 at Eastleigh Works in March 2001: The Basingstoker· CC BY-SA 2.0
what is it?
The British Rail Class 309 "Clacton Express" electric multiple units (EMUs) were built by British Rail (BR) York Carriage Works from 1962 to 1963. They were initially classified as Class AM9 before the introduction of TOPS. These units were the first express 25 kV alternating current (AC) units to be built by British Rail and were their first EMUs capable of 100 mph.
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 63 years ago, in 1963.
- Top speed is 1.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- At full speed it would cover Amsterdam–Utrecht (≈ 40 km) in 15 minutes.
- 40.2 m long: about 9 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 38 years (1962–2000).
multiple unit: A self-propelled train: motors are spread under the passenger cars, so no separate locomotive.
spec sheet
- built
- 1963
- in service from
- 1962
- retired
- 2000
- status
- retired
- number built
- 76
- kind
- multiple unit
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- British Rail, Holgate Road carriage works
- operators
- Eastern Region of British Railways, First North Western, Network SouthEast, Regional Railways
- top speed
- 161 km/h
- power
- —
- formation
- 2, 3 or 4 cars per trainset:DMBSK, Driving Motor Brake Second Corridor+BDTS, Battery Driving Trailer Second (309/1), BD…
- length
- 40.2 m
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q849804, Wikipedia: British Rail Class 309 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.