South Western Railway (SWR) has introduced the first of its Alstom-refurbished Class 458 trains onto its UK network.
Units 458415, 458420 and 458422 – all in new SWR livery – will initially be used to operate eight car services between London Waterloo and Weybridge via Brentford and between London Waterloo and Twickenham.
Seventeen trains from SWR's Class 458 fleet have been refurbished at the Alstom Transport Technology Center in Widnes, with a further 11 to be refurbished. Each four-car unit has 234 seats in a two-by-two configuration – all with back tables and charging points – and space for two wheelchair users. Each carriage also has two tables equipped with wireless charging points.
Alstom's work at Widnes, which will take two weeks to complete each package, will also include reconfiguring the vehicles to allow faster speeds and installing new carpeting throughout the train. Additionally, at Alstom's historic Groove facility, the Class 458's running wheelsets have been modified to allow the trains to run at a maximum speed of 100 mph rather than 75 mph.
