What was the gangway (if you can call it that?) on the 458/0s for?

[Intercity_225]

On the 458/0s, as I'm sure you know, the cab was split by some sort of gangway thing in the middle. What's confusing me is there's no actual gangway, so what's it for? Is it similar to the 717s and 378s, where it's for emergency evacuation?

Image of a 458/0 at Earley Station (NOT MY PHOTO)

 

[Bletchleyite]

There is a folding gangway inside but it was unreliable.

 

[boiledbeans2]

Photo of coupled trains:

File:Reading railway station MMB 33 458007 458023.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

commons.wikimedia.org

 

[Intercity_225]

Cheers guys

 

[norbitonflyer]

There is a folding gangway inside but it was unreliable.

If I recall, the gangways could only be connected in a depot. Units coupling/uncupling in service would have to run without the gangways connected.

 

[swt_passenger]

Photo of coupled trains:

File:Reading railway station MMB 33 458007 458023.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

commons.wikimedia.org

Is that Buddlia growing in the bellows?

 

[Sun Chariot]

Is that Buddlia growing in the bellows?

very good! I rather hope it's the background

 

[Big Jumby 74]

If I recall, the gangways could only be connected in a depot

Correct, and it took in the region of 20-25 minutes as well.

 

[Transilien]

Why did SWT opt for this instead of a regular gangway or none at all?

 

[Big Jumby 74]

I don't recall the reasons for the Juniper design being chosen when 458's were new. I was there at the time, but too low down the pecking order to know too much. It was a case of having a new fleet of trains to diagram.

It may have been a part of the specification as many SR types (Vep, Cig etc etc) were gangway fitted. Sure someone with a better memory than I will advise? The front end design may have been a hinderance to a wider gangway, which would likely have reduced the view from the driving seat.

The gangways were extremely narrow when deployed, far more so than a Desiro, and IIRC there was a quite steep ramp (several inches) up from the floor in the saloon in to gangway. Made it very un-passenger friendly, so partly why the use of them became a staff (train crew) only thing when in service.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Aug 2026 ==

Ref gangways, the 442 was a similar case in point. Although the gangway was wider than a 458, the knock on was a structural pillar within the drivers side of the cab to the right of the console. Yes, these had wrap round windows on the left side, but (in general terms) at many locations, not only Waterloo, the departing signals can be located to the off side, which any gangway structure can obscure from the driving seat. The trade off in these cases (ie: Guildford platform 4, London bound IIRC?) can be that any train using that location has to start from further back from the signal, which can then compromise the usable length of platform for certain stock formations.