British Rail Class 318

The British Rail Class 318 is a fleet of 21 three-car electric multiple units built by British Rail Engineering Limited at its York works between 1985 and 1986 for the Glasgow South Western sector of Scotland. It is effectively a three-car version of the Class 317 on a British Rail Mark 3 based design, and it replaced diesel multiple units of Classes 101, 107, 120 and 126 that had worked those routes for nearly thirty years. Each set pairs a central motor car carrying the pantograph and four traction motors with a driving trailer at either end, runs on the standard 25 kV alternating current overhead supply and has a maximum speed of 90 mph. The units entered service in September 1986 on the electrified Ayrshire Coast Line and now work Argyle, Cathcart Circle, North Clyde and other Glasgow suburban lines. After the 2024 withdrawal of the second generation of Glasgow Subway stock they are the oldest working electric multiple units in Scotland.