The Class 3000 (C3K class) is a class of

diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...

in service with

NI Railways NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) ( ga, Iarnród Thuaisceart Éireann); and for a brief period Ulster Transport Railways (UTR), is the railway operator in Northern Ireland. NIR is a subsidiary of Translink (Northern Ire ...

History

At the beginning of the 21st century, the majority of rail services in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

continued to be operated using Class 80 DEMUs, which had been in service since the mid-1970s, and were becoming increasingly harder to maintain. NIR had not procured new rolling stock since 1994, when, in conjunction with

Iarnród Éireann Iarnród Éireann () or Irish Rail, is the operator of the national railway network of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ). It operates all internal InterCity, Commuter, DART and f ...

, it purchased locomotives and coaches for the

Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterprise ...

service. As part of a major investment programme in the railways in Northern Ireland, NIR placed an order totalling £80 million, the largest single investment in rolling stock ever made by NIR, with CAF for 23 3-car DMUs in 2002. The new trains entered service in 2004 and 2005, gradually replacing most of the existing Class 80 units on the network (the main exception being services between

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

and

Larne Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic territory) is a town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with a population of 18,755 at the 2011 Census. It is a major passenger and freight roll-on roll-off port. Larne is administered by Mid a ...

, which were still provided by the Class 450 DMUs). The trains are capable of speeds of up to 145 km/h (90 mph), seat 201 (including 15 on tip-up seats) and have standing room for 280 passengers crush laden. The sets are numbered 3001-3023. All vehicles are powered. The individual cars are 3301 to 3323, 3501 to 3523 and 3401 to 3423. The end vehicles on each unit have cabs. 3001 is formed 3301-3501-3401 up to 3023 being formed 3323-3523-3423. The first six units (3001-3006) are fitted with CAWS and communication equipment compatible with the rail network in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. ...

. This enables these units to be used as required on cross-border services.

Accidents and incidents

*On Thursday 2nd August 2007, unit 3014 hit a tractor, killing the tractor driver, and severely damaging the front of the train (3414). *On Thursday 4 February 2016, two Class 3000 units formed a train that struck an excavator bucket on the line at Knockmore Junction,

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population ...

whilst travelling at . The leading vehicle (3413) was severely damaged and a passenger was injured. The unit 3013 was returned to revenue service in November 2018. *On Friday 9th August 2019, No. 3019 hit a tree just south of Antrim, damaging the front of the train (3414). *On Wednesday 18th December 2019, No. 3006 hit a tree near Mossley West, severely damaging the leading vehicle, 3406.

Refurbishment

Phase 1 of the refurbishment programme was begun during the financial year 2009/10 and cost an estimated £1.2 million. At the time, the trains were approximately 5–6 years old. By the time this was completed, the 20 new Class 4000 units were already coming into service. The refurbishment involved re-liverying the trains in the refreshed corporate branding. NI Railways has also started to refurbish its Class 3000 in November 2018, and is scheduled to refurbish all the twenty-three 3000's. The refurbishment program is expected to run until 2021.

Fleet details

Gallery

File:Lisburn railway station in 2007.jpg, 3011 pulls out of Lisburn on a Bangor service in 2007 File:Belfast Great Victoria Street.jpg, Two Class 3000 units stand at Belfast Great Victoria Street both for Larne and Portadown in 2011 File:The 12 - 52 to Londonderry leaves Yorkgate station - geograph.org.uk - 2359652.jpg, The 12.52 to Londonderry leaves Yorkgate railway station on a Whitehead Bound service in 2006 File:NIR C3k no. 3001.jpg, alt=NIR C3k no. 3001 waiting at Bangor station as the sun rises., 3001 at Bangor railway station in 2021

References

{{Ireland Multiple Units 3000 CAF multiple units