British Rail Class 365

The BR Class 365 Networker Express was a fleet of forty-one four-car dual-voltage electric multiple unit sets built by ABB Transportation at York between 1994 and 1996, designed as the final and most capable class of the Networker family that Network SouthEast had been developing since the late 1980s. The Class 365 was built to serve two quite different routes: the Great Northern outer-suburban and semi-fast services from King's Cross to Cambridge, Peterborough, and Hertford North — operating on 25 kV AC overhead — and the Kent Coast services from Victoria and Charing Cross to Folkestone, Dover, and Ramsgate, which used 750 V DC third rail. The dual-voltage capability that the Class 313 had pioneered in 1976 was now applied to a 100 mph express-quality unit.

The Class 365 was a substantial step forward from the Class 317 it was designed to complement on the Great Northern routes. The ABB body, while visually related to the Networker family, was wider and higher-quality in its interior specification, with full air conditioning from new, better seating layouts, at-seat power points, and a quieter running environment. The IGBT traction control system was more efficient than the thyristor systems of the Classes 317–321, giving better acceleration and energy recovery through regenerative braking. The dual-voltage arrangement used a sophisticated power supply changeover system that the 365 could switch automatically at the AC/DC boundary.

The forty-one sets were delivered in two subclasses reflecting their different route requirements: the 365/5 (365501–365531) for the Great Northern route from King's Cross, and the 365/5 sets configured for Kent services. In practice the 365s were concentrated on the Great Northern outer-suburban and semi-fast services, with their dual-voltage capability giving the flexibility for occasional working south of the Thames.

Under privatisation the Class 365 fleet passed to Connex South Eastern, then First Capital Connect, and finally Great Northern (Govia Thameslink Railway) for King's Cross services. Their dual-voltage capability was exploited less than originally anticipated, as operational patterns settled into predominantly AC operation on the Great Northern. The arrival of Class 387 and Class 717 units for the Great Northern inner-suburban services from 2018 displaced the 365s from some duties, and the class was progressively withdrawn between 2018 and 2020. Several sets have passed into preservation, making the Class 365 one of the few members of the Networker Express family to survive into the heritage sector.