British Rail Class 450
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The British Rail Class 450 '' Desiro'' are
third-rail A third rail, also known as a live rail, electric rail or conductor rail, is a method of providing electric power to a railway locomotive or train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway ...
DC
electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a numbe ...
(EMU) passenger trains that began service during 2003. Used for outer-suburban services, they were built with standard and first-class accommodation. They have a maximum speed of . The ''Desiro UK'' family also includes units of Classes 185, 350,
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, 380 and 444. These trains are the most numerous in South Western Railway's fleet. In August 2017, the units transferred from their original operator
South West Trains Stagecoach South Western Trains Limited, trading as South West Trains (SWT), was an English train operating company owned by Stagecoach Group, Stagecoach, which operated the South Western franchise between February 1996 and August 2017. SWT op ...
, which was owned by
Stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...
, to current operator South Western Railway, which is owned by
FirstGroup FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland.MTR Corporation MTR Corporation Limited is a majority government-owned public transport operator and property developer in Hong Kong which operates the Mass Transit Railway, the most popular public transport network in Hong Kong. It is listed on the Hong ...
.


Introduction

In April 2001, 785 vehicles were ordered by
South West Trains Stagecoach South Western Trains Limited, trading as South West Trains (SWT), was an English train operating company owned by Stagecoach Group, Stagecoach, which operated the South Western franchise between February 1996 and August 2017. SWT op ...
in order to complete the replacement of its slam-door rolling stock, in accordance with its franchise commitment to do so by 2005, as the slam-door trains, many of which were more than 40 years old, did not meet modern health and safety requirements. Introduction to service was delayed by the required power supply upgrades capable of powering the new trains, which feature air conditioning, a feature not present in the slam-door trains they replaced. In the December 2004 timetable change, the Class 450 ''Desiro'' began serving most intended routes, although introduction was delayed until June 2005 in some areas. The units are leased by
Angel Trains Angel Trains is a British rolling stock company (ROSCO). Together with Eversholt Rail Group and Porterbrook, it is one of the three original ROSCOs. Angel Trains was established in March 1994 as part of the privatisation of British Rail. In No ...
to South West Trains. Sixty-eight new vehicles were ordered by South West Trains as a replacement to the growth order which was diverted to form the similar range of electric multiple units.


Operations

Class 450 ''Desiro'' trains operate on certain London commuter rail routes, as well as outer suburban and regional services from
London Waterloo Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Underground station of ...
, and local services outside the London area. They are used on all SWR lines except the
West of England line The West of England line (also known as the West of England Main Line) is a British railway line from , Hampshire, to in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter; the line intersects with the Wessex Ma ...
and the Eastleigh to Romsey Line. They can also be found on London commuter rail services usually operated by units (to
Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...
,
Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...
,
Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England, about south of London. It is in Mole Valley District and the council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs roughly east–west, parallel to the Pipp Br ...
, Chessington South,
Hampton Court Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chief ...
,
Shepperton Shepperton is an urban village in the Borough of Spelthorne, Surrey, approximately south west of central London. Shepperton is equidistant between the towns of Chertsey and Sunbury-on-Thames. The village is mentioned in a document of 959 AD ...
and the Kingston Loop Line), particularly in peak periods and on Sundays during periods of engineering work. These trains used to be seen in service between Wareham and Brockenhurst rail stations but now there is one train per hour to London Waterloo from Weymouth, and one train per hour to London Waterloo from Poole, which are both operated by SWR 444 units and an hourly slow train service from Winchester to Bournemouth. Class 450 trains are used on the Portsmouth Direct Line for
London Waterloo Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Underground station of ...
to
Portsmouth Harbour Portsmouth Harbour is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Portsmouth and Gosport in Hampshire. It is a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area. It is a large natural harbour in Hampshire, England. Geographically it i ...
services in place of Class 444 ''Desiro'' units on some services. The decision to use the Class 450 has been a cause for complaint from passengers, specifically because of the 3+2 seating arrangement.


Class 450/2 and more orders

Originally, SWT's order with Siemens was for 100 four-car sets (the current 450/0) and 32 five-car sets, intended as Class 450/2 for inner-suburban use. The
Strategic Rail Authority The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom set up under the Transport Act 2000 to provide strategic direction for Rail transport in the United Kingdom, the railway industry. Its motto was 'Brita ...
, however, did not agree to the terms required, such as the lengthening of platforms and changes to railway infrastructure. As a result, the 32 five-car sets were cancelled and the 160 vehicles redistributed; an extra 10 four-car sets were added to the SWT order, while the remaining 120 vehicles were then ordered as 30 four-car sets of the dual-voltage for
Silverlink Silverlink was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by National Express that operated the North London Railways franchise from March 1997 until November 2007. At the end of 2007 Silverlink Metro services were taken over by Lond ...
and
Central Trains Central Trains was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by National Express that operated a variety of local and inter-regional trains from 2 March 1997 until 11 November 2007. Overview Created out of the Central division o ...
. Subsequently, SWT received further 17 four-car sets, bringing the total number of Class 450 units up to 127. These trains were delivered in 2006, not long after the last of the first order was delivered. 450101 was damaged in Belgium and returned to
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to have repairs conducted by Siemens, delaying its entry into the UK.


Class 450/5 modifications

In January 2008, 28 Class 450/0 sets were modified and re-numbered in the Class 450/5 series, for use on services between Waterloo and
Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
, the
Hounslow Loop Line The Hounslow Loop Line is a railway line in southwest London which was opened by the London and South Western Railway in 1850. It leaves the Waterloo to Reading Line at Barnes Junction and after some seven and a half miles rejoins it at a trian ...
, as well as between Waterloo and
Weybridge Weybridge () is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. The settlement is recorded as ''Waigebrugge'' and ''Weibrugge'' in the 7th century and the name derives from a crossing point of the ...
. They had their first-class seating removed and replaced with 2+3 formation standard-class seating, and some other seats were removed to provide more standing capacity; extra handrails were also provided. The numbers modified are 450043 to 450070, which have become 450543 to 450570 respectively and displayed the letters HC (denoting 'High Capacity') above the unit number on the front of the sets. The modifications were carried out at the Bournemouth Traincare Depot. In anticipation of the Class 458/5 modifications for use on the Windsor Lines, the 450/5 sub class had the First Class reinstated, and they are now used generally across the SWR routes. These trains retain their 4505xx number as the standard seating configuration remains different. As they complete their latest interior refurbishment, during late 2019, they are being returned to their original numbers.


Refresh

South Western Railway, as part of its franchise agreement, has carried out a refurbishment programme on its Class 450 fleet. As part of this, every unit has been deep cleaned with carpets and seat covers replaced and every two seats in Standard Class have had a plug socket fitted. First Class has been reduced to eight seats per set end (16 seats per set), and features new leather seats and tables with wireless charging facilities. As part of this work, Class 450/5s have also been similarly refurbished, and renumbered to their original numbers, so all Class 450s will once again share a common layout.


Accidents and incidents

*On 6 November 2017, unit 450 025 was derailed near . Four people were injured; over 300 passengers were evacuated from the train. The accident was caused by track spread. Neither
Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...
nor
London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...
had inspected the track for many years, due to a misunderstanding as to who was responsible for maintaining a stretch of line.


Fleet details


Liveries


References


External links


Class 450 "Desiro"
- South Western Railway
Class 450 refurbishment
by
Angel Trains Angel Trains is a British rolling stock company (ROSCO). Together with Eversholt Rail Group and Porterbrook, it is one of the three original ROSCOs. Angel Trains was established in March 1994 as part of the privatisation of British Rail. In No ...
{{British Rail EMU 450 Siemens multiple units Train-related introductions in 2003 750 V DC multiple units