| British Rail Class 334 Coradia Juniper | |
|---|---|
 ScotRail Class 334 atDumbarton Central | |
 RefurbishedFirst ScotRail interior in 2013 | |
| In service | 3 April 2001 – present |
| Manufacturer | Alstom |
| Built at | |
| Family name | Coradia Juniper |
| Replaced | Class 303 |
| Constructed | 1999–2002 |
| Refurbished |
|
| Number built | 40[2] |
| Successor | Class 380[3] |
| Formation | 3 cars per unit:DMS-PTS-DMS[2] |
| Fleet numbers | 334001–334040 |
| Capacity | 183 seats[2] |
| Owners | Eversholt Rail Group[2] |
| Operators | ScotRail |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Steel |
| Train length | 61.96 m (203 ft 3 in) |
| Car length | |
| Width | 2.80 m (9 ft 2 in) |
| Height | 3.77 m (12 ft 4 in) |
| Doors | Double-leaf sliding plug(2 per side per car) |
| Maximum speed | 90 mph (145 km/h)[2] |
| Traction system | Alstom ONIX 800IGBT |
| Traction motors | 4 × 270 kW (362 hp) (2 per DMS car) |
| Power output | 1,080 kW (1,448 hp) |
| Acceleration | 0.62 m/s2 (2.0 ft/s2) max.[2] |
| Electric system(s) | 25 kV 50 Hz ACoverhead |
| Current collection | Pantograph |
| UIC classification | 2′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′2′ |
| Braking system(s) | Electro-pneumatic (disc),andregenerative[2] |
| Safety system(s) | |
| Coupling system | |
| Multiple working | Within class |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge |
TheBritish Rail Class 334Coradia Juniper is asuburbanelectric multiple unit passenger train built byAlstom inBirmingham. They are part of Alstom'sCoradia Juniper family of trains, along with Classes458 and460.
The trains are operated byScotRail and mainly run on theNorth Clyde Line onHelensburgh Central -Edinburgh,Springburn -Milngavie andAirdrie -Balloch services. However, they can also sometimes be seen on theArgyle Line onDalmuir/Milngavie toWhifflet/Motherwell/Larkhall/Cumbernauld services. They were ordered bySPT/ScotRail (when part ofNational Express) for outer-suburban services inGlasgow.
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Their introduction saw the withdrawal of the last of Glasgow's venerableClass 303 "Blue Train" sets which had been in service since 1960.[citation needed] Although deliveries started to Strathclyde in 1999, the Class 334 did not enter passenger service until 2001 due to numerous teething problems (in common with other Juniper-based classes) and technical failures which plagued the new units upon their introduction.[3]
All units are owned byEversholt Rail Group. ScotRail leased a total of 40 units which can be seen in use daily across the SPT electric network. On the maiden run of the units, 334010 and 334020 ran to Gourock. The units initially ran on theAyrshire andInverclyde lines, but became a common sight on theArgyle andNorth Clyde lines.
From its introduction, the Class 334 operated on the Ayrshire Coast Line, Inverclyde Line, North Clyde Line and Argyle Line, but by June 2011 the class had been largely replaced on the Ayrshire and Inverclyde lines by theClass 380, with only occasional units seen on those routes.
In September 2008, theScottish Government's agencyTransport Scotland announced that allScotRail trains (including those from theStrathclyde Partnership for Transport) would be eventually repainted in a new, blue livery with whiteSaltire markings on the carriage ends. Class 334 re-livery began in November 2010 in preparation for the Airdrie to Bathgate reopening.[5]
On 24 August 2011, ScotRail announced plans to refurbish all the fleet, with the project expected to start in November 2011 and take two years to complete.[6][7] 334020 was the first unit to be refurbished at Kilmarnock's Brodie Rail Works from 3 February 2012 to 2 May 2012. The last unit to be refurbished was 334006, which left Brodie Works on 8 November 2014.[citation needed]
From early 2015, Eversholt commissioned Alstom to perform an extensive £36.1m overhaul of the entire fleet to improve passenger conditions, which included the retrofitting of full air conditioning, at-seat charging points, provision for wi-fi, passenger counting equipment, cycle spaces, LED lighting and CCTV in the saloons, and an upgraded CCTV system for driver-only operation.[8][9][10] Improvements were also made to the reliability of the passenger doors, and the originalTightlock couplings were replaced withScharfenberg-type automatic couplers manufactured byVoith, allowing Class 334 units to rescue and be rescued byClass 380 units. The overhaul process was completed in 2017.
On 22 June 2021 during Pride Month in the United Kingdom, a Class 334 was unveiled withprogress flag colours. ScotRail stated that the livery would remain in place until 2029, after which the metalwork underneath would require repainting.[11]
In 2023Alstom was awarded a contract by Eversholt Rail to overhaul the Class 334 fleet. The work, with a contract value of £12 million, will be carried out atPolmadie Depot and is planned to start in January 2024.[12][13]
| Class | Operator | Qty. | Year built | Cars per unit | Unit nos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 334 | ScotRail | 40 | 1999–2002 | 3 | 334001–334040 |
