NORTHERN has taken delivery of further Class 323 sets from West Midlands Railway, which have been released after the introduction of more Class 730-operated services in the Birmingham area.
Arriving at Allerton from Soho on May 13, were Nos. 323206/209, while Nos. 323205/210 formed the 5Q36 16.02 Wolverton-Allerton on May 23. The pair had arrived at Wolverton from Soho three days earlier. Nos. 323207/243 formed the 5M70 08.45 Soho-Wolverton on May 28 and moved to Allerton on May 31.
As of late May, none of these units had entered traffic with Northern. Two of the earlier transfers, Nos. 323208/220, have appeared in service, with the third, No. 323212, being used for crew training. A further seven sets will move north over the coming months, with the remaining nine going off lease (see table). Of the latter, No. 323214 is at Wolverton and may not see any further action with West Midlands Railway.
Following on from the introduction of a diagram for a pair of ‘730s’ on the Lichfield to Bromsgrove route on April 15, (see RE337), two more diagrams on the Cross City line which were previously operated by pairs of Class 323s went over to Aventra operation during May. The fleet is in the process of being denamed, and further Class 730 diagrams are to be introduced over the coming weeks.
