Procurement delays hamper SWR’s fleet refurbishment

SOUTH Western Railway says refurbishment of its 172-strong Class 444 and Class 450 Desiro electric multiple unit fleets is being affected by unforeseen delays in the procurement and supply of materials.

The entire fleet of 733 carriages is due for refresh work at Eastleigh Works by next spring, as part of the franchise agreement. The £50 million work is being carried out by Siemens, which built the trains in 2003-07.

Both the ‘444s’ and ‘450s’ are being reconfigured to increase seating capacity. The booth for the guard is being removed, and First Class seating space reduced. On the five-car Class 444s, the buffet counter is also being removed.

However, this work has been delayed. Four-car Class 450s are currently being fitted with new seat covers and Axminster carpets, and being returned to traffic. They will each need to return to Eastleigh once the parts to reconfigure the layout are available.

SWR preferred to continue with this partial refurbishment in order to bring the most visible passenger benefits, as the soft furnishings have never been replaced and now look very worn. Five trains at a time are being taken out of service.

A single Class 444 is in Eastleigh (444040) as a test vehicle for the refurbishment. First Class seating is being altered from 2+1 to 2+2 layout in a smaller compartment. Leather seats and induction charging for mobile devices will be installed. The first train is expected in traffic in the autumn, which is later than planned.

SWR has refuted suggestions that the separate refurbishment of 18 older five-car Class 442 Wessex Electrics is also behind schedule. The £45m contract with Kiepe Electric UK is due to take 18 months, with the first completed train carrying passengers by December.

Old DC motors recovered from Class 432 EMUs built in 1966-74, and reused on the ‘442s’ when they were built in 1988-89, are being replaced with AC equipment from Kiepe in Dusseldorf.

Brakes come from Knorr-Bremse and include regenerative braking. There will be new seats and carpets, with at-seat power, WiFi and LED lighting. Accessible toilets for disabled people will also be installed.

SWR said driver training had started, with guard training to follow later this summer.