The British Rail Class 333 electric multiple unit

Electric multiple unit

An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...

s were built by Siemens

Siemens Transportation Systems

Siemens Mobility is a division of the German Siemens AG conglomerate. The Mobility sub-division brings together Siemens competencies in rail, road, and air traffic solutions....

 and CAF

Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles

Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles is a rail equipment manufacturer based in Beasain in the Basque Country, Spain. Equipment manufactured by CAF includes light rail vehicles, rapid transit trains, railroad cars and locomotives, as well as variable gauge axles that can be fitted on any...

 are based on the Class 332

British Rail Class 332

The British Rail Class 332 is the type of electric multiple unit train used on the Heathrow Express between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport.-Description:The fleet was built in 1997-1998 by Siemens and CAF at the latter’s factory in Zaragoza, Spain...

 trains operated by Heathrow Express

Heathrow Express

Heathrow Express is an airport rail link from London Heathrow Airport to London Paddington station in London operated by the Heathrow Express Operating Authority, a wholly owned subsidiary of BAA. It was opened by the then Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1998...

.

Description

Sixteen three-car units were introduced in 2000 by Northern Spirit

Northern Spirit

This article is about the railway company Northern Spirit. For the Australian football club of the same name, see Northern Spirit FC.Northern Spirit was a UK train operating company which ran local and regional train services in the north east of England during the late 1990s.-Operations:Created...

 then operated by Arriva Trains Northern

Arriva Trains Northern

Arriva Trains Northern was a train operating company that operated passenger trains in Yorkshire and the North East of England. The company had previously been known as Northern Spirit before being taken over by Arriva....

 and now by Northern Rail

Northern Rail

Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...

. They have replaced the Class 308 vehicles that served the Wharfedale

Wharfedale Line

The Wharfedale Line is the name given to one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England. The service connects Ilkley with Leeds and Bradford, and is operated by Northern Rail. West Yorkshire Metrocards are available for use on the line, covering Zones 3 - 5...

 and Airedale

Airedale Line

The Airedale Line is the name given to one of the rail services in the Metro area of northern England. The service is operated by Northern Rail, on the route connecting Leeds and Bradford with Skipton in the North of England. Some services along the line continue to Morecambe or Carlisle...

 lines in the West Riding of Yorkshire

West Riding of Yorkshire

The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 (between Leeds, , Ilkley

Ilkley

Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...

 and Skipton

Skipton

Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...

). They are based at the Neville Hill

Neville Hill T&RSMD

Neville Hill T&RSMD is a railway Traction & Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot situated in Leeds, England. The depot code is NL.It is a rail care depot used by Northern Rail to service certain rolling stock...

 depot in Leeds and painted in the livery of West Yorkshire Metro, the local passenger transport executive

Passenger Transport Executive

In the United Kingdom, passenger transport executives are local government bodies which are responsible for public transport within large urban areas...

.

Due to increased passenger numbers, the sets were lengthened to four cars, 333001 - 333008 in 2002 and 333009 - 333016 in 2003 - this was funded by Metro and the Strategic Rail Authority

Strategic Rail Authority

In existence from 2001 to 2006, the Strategic Rail Authority was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom set up under the Transport Act 2000 to provide strategic direction for the railway industry....

. However, this funding ran out in 2007 and as a consequence of this the 4th carriages could have been removed. Had this happened the 4 car 321s would have been removed from Doncaster services on to Wharfedale and/or Airdale services. This means that the fourth carriages on the 333s are now funded by South Yorkshire PTE, despite rarely running in the South Yorkshire to ensure that 4 car units are available on Doncaster services.

Despite changes to the franchise, up until 2008 the units still carried the old 'combined' Northern Spirit

Northern Spirit

This article is about the railway company Northern Spirit. For the Australian football club of the same name, see Northern Spirit FC.Northern Spirit was a UK train operating company which ran local and regional train services in the north east of England during the late 1990s.-Operations:Created...

and Metro livery of all over red with the large N vinyl. From summer 2008 a new livery has been introduced; again combining the current operator (Northern) and Metro. Units 333 002 and 333 004 initially received the new livery by September 2008 but the finish of the vinyls was unsatisfactory. New vinyls were acquired and the whole fleet was reliveried by mid 2009.

Performance

The units are capable of 100 mph (45 m/s), but the maximum speed on any part of the routes on which they operate is 90 mph (40 m/s); their brisk acceleration and high power makes them well-suited to commuter services with generally short distances between stations in the hilly part of Yorkshire in which they operate. They are fitted with standard class only 2+3 high-density seating, and each set has one toilet.

Fleet details

Class	Operator	No. Built	Year Built	Cars per Set	Unit nos.	Formation
Class 333	Northern Rail	16	2000	4	333001 - 333016	DMSO-PTSO-TSO-DMSO