Great Northern ‘313s’ taken for scrap
Scrapping of Class 313s has begun, with the first three sets dispatched for dismantling.
First to leave Great Northern was 313026, which was dragged to Sims Metal’s scrapyard at Newport Docks on April 8. The following day 313055 was taken to C F Booth’s at Rotherham, and on April 10 ex-GN 313050 was taken to European Metal Recycling at Kingsbury.
The three-car electric multiple units are being replaced by new six-car Class 717s on the GN route from Moorgate ( RAIL 876). The GN ‘313s’ will all be withdrawn by the autumn. Parts are being recovered for the Southern Class 313/2 fleet, with the remains being sent away for disposal.
Introduced in 1976-77, the Class 313/0 fleet is the oldest EMU fleet on the national network on the main land (South Western Railway’s Class 483s on the Isle of Wight date from 1938). The trains were due to be displaced by the Siemens ‘717s’ last year, but various faults with the new trains brought them a short reprieve.
Eversholt Rail owns the veteran EMUs, and is having them disposed of in a similar fashion to its TfL Rail Class 315s (a similar design, albeit four-car in length and built in 198081) which were also sent to the same locations.
Within its GN fleet, Govia Thameslink Railway retains 313018/ 024/025/027-033/035-049/ 051-054/056-064, 313122/123, although that number will reduce as more duties transfer to the ‘717s’.
On April 8, the final three-car Class 313 duty operated, with the 0720 Moorgate-Stevenage and 0828 return the last to be formed of a single unit. Class 717s took over the following day.