ALSTOM REFURBISHED CLASS 458 TRAINS ENTER SERVICE ON SWR NETWORK IN THE UK

South Western Railway (SWR) has introduced the first of its Alstom refurbished Class 458 on its UK network. Units 458415, 458420 and 458422 – all in their updated SWR livery – will initially be used to operate eight-car services between London Waterloo and Weybridge via Brentford, and London Waterloo and Twickenham.

Seventeen of SWR’s Class 458 fleet have been refurbished at the Alstom Transport Technology Centre in Widnes, with a further 11 to follow. Each four-car unit has 234 seats in a two-by-two formation – all with seat back tables and charging points – as well as space for two wheelchair users. Each carriage also has two tables fitted with wireless charging points.

Taking two weeks to complete each set, work by Alstom at Widnes has also seen the reconfiguration of the vehicles to enable faster acceleration and laid new carpets throughout. Meanwhile, additional work at Alstom’s historic Crewe facility has seen the Class 458’s powered wheelsets overhauled. This has enabled the trains to operate at a top speed of 100mph – up from 75mph.




The trains were originally intended for use on the route between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour via Guildford. However, following the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent changes in customer travel patterns, the fleet will temporarily operate services on SWR’s suburban network, as the company works towards the full introduction of its fleet of 90 new Class 701 Aventra trains – built by Alstom in Derby and branded Arterio by the customer.

The 28, four-car Class 458 trains will be designated as Class 458/4. The eight remaining five-car units will be designated as Class 458/5.

These initial units will operate the following services, all via Brentford:

The Class 458 Juniper (5-JUP) electric multiple units (EMUs) were originally built by Alstom at Washwood Heath in Birmingham between 1998 and 2002 for South West Trains.