Fleet Focus - Southend Class 315 Farewell
Good Evening, Lewis here. This brief report will detail the demise of the Class 315 electric multiple units on the Southend Victoria line. The Class 315's have been operating on the Southend Victoria line since virtually brand new in 1980. They frequently operated to Southend Victoria from London Liverpool Street but more recently they only visited the line in the peak hours on stopping services to and from London.
The very last day of Class 315 operation on the Southend Victoria line was Saturday 16th May 2015, one day before the national timetable changes. Up until this date the Class 315's had a few peak working and ECS workings along the Southend line. They worked the first two trains of the day, the 0400 & 0430 Southend to London and another two peak stopping services to London Liverpool Street. There was only one returning evening peak service and that was the 17:49 London Liverpool Street to Southend Victoria.
The very last weekday operation of Class 315's on the Southend Victoria line was Friday 15th May and the last passenger peak service was the 17:49 London Liverpool Street to Southend Victoria. This service now terminates at Shenfield. But on the very last day, Saturday17th May 2015, the final passenger service was the 05:28 London Liverpool Street to Southend Victoria which I snapped at Hockley. I traveled on the 0400, the penultimate London bound service, from Southend Victoria and caught the penultimate return Southend bound train from Stratford.
It's very sad to bid farewell to the Class 315 workhorses on the Southend Victoria line which have served the line for well over 30 years and their sterling service on the line has now come to an end, and so has their working lives. The reason that the Class 315's are now no longer used on the Southend Victoria lien is because from May 31st, the units were split between London Overground and TfL Rail/MTR Crossrail, so Abellio Greater Anglia now no longer operate any Class 315's and it is highly unlikely that a Class 315 will ever visit the Southend Victoria line again. The units have begun to receive TfL Rail livery of blue and white and London Overground livery on West Anglia. All units will be replaced by 2020 and their future is undecided but is currently looking bleak. Hopefully the preservationists will step in to preserve one of these fine units for future generations to enjoy.
