Surprise move as SWR drops Class 442s
SOUTH WESTERN Railway surprised everyone on March 31 when it announced it was abandoning its project to refurbish and re-traction 18 Class 442 EMUs for its London Waterloo to Portsmouth route. It is buying them from lessor Angel Trains, removing the new interiors and traction equipment for possible re-use and then scrapping them.
Kiepe Electric was carrying out the interior refurbishment and fitting new traction equipment after it was awarded a £45m contract. In addition the units were being fitted with KnorrBremse brake controls. The traction kit replaced the lifeexpired DC equipment, much of which was used in the original from 4-REP EMUs dating from 1966-67. Only a few units had been re-tractioned at Wolverton Works, but several had received the internal refresh. All 18 sets had been refurbished and 14 had the new traction equipment.
The first completed set entered traffic in May 2019 but was withdrawn several times as various faults needed rectification; four units re-entered service on January 6, 2020. However,
they were withdrawn again in March 2020 due to the drop in passenger numbers caused by the coronavirus pandemic. They were planned to provide additional accommodation, primarily on the Portsmouth route. SWR also claims additional accessibility work would be needed for the units from 2024, mainly centred on the plug doors and their rotating pillars and handholds in the vestibule. These would be expensive issues to overcome.
To compensate, SWR has decided to retain 28 of its 36 Alstom Class 458s, give them an internal refurbishment, increase the maximum speed to 100mph and return them to four-car formation. The extra lease will be until 2027 initially. This will happen once they have been replaced on Reading services by new Alstom Class 701s. Due to the amount of technical work to the traction equipment involved this be performed by Alstom.
SWT Engineering Director Neil Drury commented on the move by saying: “COVID-19 has dramatically reduced the number of customers travelling by rail, even with restrictions beginning to lift. As part of our commitment to adapting efficiently to these new circumstances we have taken the decision to reduce costs by permanently withdrawing our fleet of Class 442 trains.”
The Class 458s were originally delivered as four-car units, but when extended to five-cars the top speed was lowered to 75mph. However, this will be reversed. The internal refurbishment will see the current commuter interior replaced with 2+2 seating, better suited to longer distance travel. The work will be undertaken at Alstom’s plant in Widnes and includes the addition of USB sockets in Standard Class and plug and USB sockets and wireless tabletop in First Class. Flooring will be replaced, new tables and grab rails fitted and the toilets will be upgraded. The £25m refresh will take place between June 2022 and the autumn of 2023. Also included in the deal is the option to refurbish the remaining eight units, which will be stored at Long Marston.