The Class 210 was developed during the early 1980s to be a modern replacement for the ageing 'first generation' DMUs in use on the Southern Region of British Railways, such as the Class 201 and Class 207.
In the early 1980s, the Class 210 was developed to replace the older 'first generation' DMUs operating on the Southern Region of British Railways, including the Class 201 and Class 207 models.