SWR outgoing Metro fleet withdrawals (complete)

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Thread to keep track of the withdrawals of South Western Railway suburban stock, as part of the replacement by Class 701 trains.

As of 24 December 2025, Class 456 and Class 707 have been entirely scrapped and transferred to SouthEastern respectively. Class 455 has no more booked workings.

Three Class 458/5 remain in service.

 

[43096]

Have 458507/517 actually gone to Widnes yet?

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Have 458507/517 actually gone to Widnes yet?

Being completely honest, I’m not sure if they’re there, but they’ve certainly been withdrawn in preparation for going there. The main point I’m trying to make is they’re not operational and that the Widnes refurbishment is the reason.

 

[Towers]

Interesting that 8534 is off lease, why is that?

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Interesting that 8534 is off lease, why is that?

Accident Damage

 

[Towers]

Accident Damage

Ah. So, stored essentially withdrawn, away from SWR premises? Or are they robbing it?

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Ah. So, stored essentially withdrawn, away from SWR premises? Or are they robbing it?

I believe it was also out of C4 miles.

 

[43096]

Accident Damage

No. As posted already on another thread it’s out of mileage to C4 overhaul.

 

[Towers]

No. As posted already on another thread it’s out of mileage to C4 overhaul.

So surely, given the parlous state of the fleet, presumably being used as a Christmas tree at Wimbledon or wherever?

 

[43096]

So surely, given the parlous state of the fleet, presumably being used as a Christmas tree at Wimbledon or wherever?

Only if the owner agrees.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

No. As posted already on another thread it’s out of mileage to C4 overhaul.

my apologies I had mixed up which 458 unit was involved in the derailment in the yard at Clapham.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

707001 and 707029 are now with SouthEastern. I will include this in the next list update.

 

[Bikeman78]

How many class 455 diagrams are there now? Seems odd to stop doing overhauls when the new trains are still reportedly a long way from entering public service.

I remember Connex ran down too many CEPs and hired the Hastings unit for a few weeks whilst some units had work done and were put back in to service.

 

[Towers]

How many class 455 diagrams are there now? Seems odd to stop doing overhauls when the new trains are still reportedly a long way from entering public service.

I remember Connex ran down too many CEPs and hired the Hastings unit for a few weeks whilst some units had work done and were put back in to service.

Presumably there is a reliance on the ability to reduce in length what were initially 10 car services quite considerably before it would lead to potential cancellations?

 

[Juniper Driver]

Thanks…Much better than my list.

I thought 458535 was in Clapham Yard but not sure if it's moved.Was in there ages.

 

[TEW]

Presumably there is a reliance on the ability to reduce in length what were initially 10 car services quite considerably before it would lead to potential cancellations?

10-car 455/456 formations all stopped running about a month or so ago now. The 456s are now all used in pairs attached to a 455. Not unusual to have 6 car 455+456 running round too.

 

[43096]

Presumably there is a reliance on the ability to reduce in length what were initially 10 car services quite considerably before it would lead to potential cancellations?

Well, SWR short-formed the 0710 Reading-Waterloo as 5-vice-10 and for their troubles had to pull the Feltham, Twickenham and Richmond stops as the trains was totally full from Virginia Water. So they already have part cancellations as a result of their maintenance failings.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I am noticing for the past few weeks, all but one Windsor diagram 8-455, with one 10-707, and then Weybridge a mixture of 8-450 and 5-458, with one 10-707. They’ve cut the Hounslow loop.

Shepperton appears to be a mixture of 455s and 707s despite being booked for ten cars throughout - this was the route 707s were supposed to be concentrated on after the cascades to SE began. Several 5 car 458s creeping onto the line these days.

Reading seems to have given a third diagram over to 8-450 as well, with many 458s short formed to 5 cars recently.

They’re severely short of 10 car units, now only having ten 707s and thirty-two working 458s, whereas this time last year there were thirty 707s and thirty-six working 458s. 450s and 455s are having to cover an enormous amount of formerly ten car services, and the only way they can manage that what with the 455s all slowly going bust is because they’ve kicked the Hounslow circle, halved Dorking, Guildford via Epsom and Shepperton, and used double 456s to cover for 455s on the Wimbledon side.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Thanks…Much better than my list.

I thought 458535 was in Clapham Yard but not sure if it's moved.Was in there ages.

No problem at all, pleasure to make it. I’ll update it weekly if there are regular changes to the fleet.

Is 458535 back in service then? Also, other than stopped 507/517/534 I have 504 as the only not operational 458 (long term OOU) - does this remain the case?

 

[Goldfish62]

Well, SWR short-formed the 0710 Reading-Waterloo as 5-vice-10 and for their troubles had to pull the Feltham, Twickenham and Richmond stops as the trains was totally full from Virginia Water. So they already have part cancellations as a result of their maintenance failings.

It's an almost daily occurrence now for consecutive trains to be short-formed on Reading services in the AM Peak. Combined with the halving of service frequency compared to pre-Covid that's a massive reduction of 75% in capacity.

 

[Bikeman78]

Presumably there is a reliance on the ability to reduce in length what were initially 10 car services quite considerably before it would lead to potential cancellations?

Post #17 suggests that strategy isn't working very well. Seems bizarre to have 13 unusable 455s clogging up depot space. Who decides if an overhaul takes place? TOC or Rosco?

 

[Goldfish62]

Reading seems to have given a third diagram over to 8-450 as well, with many 458s short formed to 5 cars recently.

Reading has had a third 8-450 diagram since May.

I'm told by a usually reliable source that more diagrams are likely to go over as the rolling stock shortage worsens.

 

[43096]

No problem at all, pleasure to make it. I’ll update it weekly if there are regular changes to the fleet.

Is 458535 back in service then? Also, other than stopped 507/517/534 I have 504 as the only not operational 458 (long term OOU) - does this remain the case?

I'm not aware of 535 having returned to service - will have a look to see if it is in its usual place in Clapham Yard tomorrow when I go past.

458506/515 also don't appear to have worked for some time?

 

[43096]

Reading has had a third 8-450 diagram since May.

I'm told by a usually reliable source that more diagrams are likely to go over as the rolling stock shortage worsens.

It's not a shortage as such: this was a deliberate decision to take a maintenance holiday on the fleet during Covid and now to run down the fleet despite the 701s being nowhere near being ready as replacements. It's not the first time that WorstGroup have done this, so they have previous.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Well, SWR short-formed the 0710 Reading-Waterloo as 5-vice-10 and for their troubles had to pull the Feltham, Twickenham and Richmond stops as the trains was totally full from Virginia Water. So they already have part cancellations as a result of their maintenance failings.

It’s not a maintenance failing it’s budget issues. Units stopped out of miles but not authorised exam aren’t a failing of the maintenance it’s an imposed financial constraint by the funders.

 

[Siemens Staines]

No problem at all, pleasure to make it. I’ll update it weekly if there are regular changes to the fleet.

Is 458535 back in service then? Also, other than stopped 507/517/534 I have 504 as the only not operational 458 (long term OOU) - does this remain the case?

I am not aware of 506 having worked this year. If it did, it was very early on in the year. 529 hasn't worked for about 3 months now either. 535 hasn't re-entered service yet, but that does not mean to say that it isn't currently under repair if it has been moved from Clapham Yard?

 

[galwhv69]

Have noticed some changes when travelling recently.
- Not been on a 707 in ages (Between Putney & Vauxhall), have occasionally seen them going in the other direction, but seem much rarer on the services via Putney now
- Short formations (5 coaches vs 10 not really a good idea when loadings are quickly picking up)
- More 455's & 458's on the services I use than previously

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Thank you for these updates.

I wonder if we’ll begin to see double 456s running around without the 455s attached? Or perhaps triple 456s. The remaining 455s are being stretched hard, particularly since taking over most Windsor trains, and as we know their miles are dropping like flies. Dread to think what winter weather will do to them.

Thank god that they can’t run single on the SW network due to gapping, not that I think even SWR would be so stupid as to put a 2 car on the Metro. I suppose if the 455s decreased more they could bring back 4 car 456 formations on Ascot Aldershot/Farnham Guildford to free up Desiros for Reading/Weybridge and also Windsor/Teddington if required.

 

[Benno]

Post #17 suggests that strategy isn't working very well. Seems bizarre to have 13 unusable 455s clogging up depot space. Who decides if an overhaul takes place? TOC or Rosco?

In this case the TOC as they would be the ones paying for the overhaul

It’s not a maintenance failing it’s budget issues. Units stopped out of miles but not authorised exam aren’t a failing of the maintenance it’s an imposed financial constraint by the funders.

The funders being the TOC i.e. First Group, funding can be found if required. 458512 requires C6 and this has been agreed to keep the unit in service such are the availability problems at present

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Do you think there’s any chance of any emergency cascades of stock from anywhere if this worsens, perhaps some of Southern’s loosely diagrammed 455s or some LNR 350/1s? ROSCO isn’t always a complete deal breaker in these circumstances, when enough effort is made. Porterbrook and Angel 156s at Northern are regularly repaired using parts from the other ROSCO, so I’ve heard.