Class 317s stood down by Greater Anglia
Fleet is reduced to contingency/cover work in advance of final withdrawal in July.
THE recent introduction of further Class 720 Aventra EMUs has enabled Greater Anglia to withdraw its remaining Class 317s from regular service. A final booked working took place on July 16, when Nos. 317343/508 spent the day operating services between Liverpool Street and Hertford East, their final working being the 2O21 23.09 Hertford East-Liverpool Street.
Thereafter, the four remaining ‘317s’ were kept on standby until later in the month, although none operated in traffic and the pair used on July 16 ran from Ilford to Cambridge via Liverpool Street on July 21. They remained there until July 26, when they were tripped to Ely Papworth for storage by No. 37884 Cepheus. This left just two sets, Nos. 317337/338, with Greater Anglia at Ilford and, having run to Cambridge two days earlier, this pair was also taken to Ely by No. 37884 on July 28.
Other recent arrivals at Ely Papworth for storage have been Nos. 317502/504 (June 29), 317501/506 (June 30), 317339/340 (July 5) and 317507/510 (July 6). All were hauled there from Cambridge by the aforementioned No. 37884.
No. 317343 is one of two sets which formed the last Class 317-operated service, which ran on July 16. Seen here around a year before, the unit enters Bishops Stortford during the evening rush hour on July 28, 2021.