Class 377 (Electrostar) spotting guide
The Class 377 Electrostar is everywhere on the railways of South East England. Built in huge numbers, it forms the backbone of Southern and Thameslink commuter and regional services, so it's one of the most-spotted units in the country.
Photo: andreboeni · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
The Class 377 Electrostar is a three- or four-car electric multiple unit built by Bombardier between 2001 and 2014.
About the Class 377 (Electrostar)
The Class 377 Electrostar is a three- or four-car electric multiple unit built by Bombardier between 2001 and 2014. Very numerous, it forms the backbone of commuter and regional services across the South of England.
History
Introduced from 2002, the Electrostar family became one of Britain's standard modern EMUs. The Class 377 spread across the Southern network and onto Thameslink and Southeastern routes, and remains in intensive daily use.
How to identify it
Look for a three- or four-carriage electric unit with an angular, flat-fronted cab and a yellow front, mostly on third-rail routes in the South East. Running numbers are in the 377xxx series, in Southern white and green among other South-East liveries.
Fleet numbers
Numbered in the 377xxx series and among the most numerous EMUs in Britain, operated across the Southern, Thameslink and Southeastern networks.
Operators
Typical workings
- Brighton Main Line and South Coast services
- Thameslink cross-London services
Where to see the Class 377 (Electrostar)
Class 377s work the Southern and Thameslink networks across South London and the South East — for example on the Brighton Main Line and through central London — rather than the northern locations featured elsewhere on this site.
Collect the Class 377 (Electrostar) fleet
Turn everyday sightings into a collecting challenge — track the running numbers you've caught.