British Rail Class 444
Encyclopedia
The British Rail
Class 444 Desiro electrical multiple units were built in Germany by Siemens AG
from 2003-04. Forty-five of these units were built for express services for South West Trains
.
The Siemens "Desiro UK" family also includes units of Classes 185
, 350
, 360
, 380
, and 450
.
(SWT) was required to order new trains to replace the old slam-door stock of Classes 411
, 412
, 421
and 423
. Therefore, in April 2001, an order was placed with Siemens AG
for 785 vehicles. This order was originally to be split as 100 four-car Class 450/0
outer-suburban units, 32 five-car Class 450/2 inner-suburban units and 45 five-car Class 444 express units.
The Class 444 fleet was built by Siemens at its Vienna
plant in Austria
. Before shipping to Britain
via the Channel Tunnel
, units were extensively tested at the test-track at Wildenrath
. This extensive testing procedure was performed as in attempt to reduce the time taken for new trains to enter service, by ironing out any problems beforehand. Many other designs of new train, such as the Bombardier
Class 375
and Alstom
Class 458
units, had been plagued by problems and poor reliability. The Desiro fleet entered service faster than its competitors, but the trains still suffered from teething problems.
Units are formed of five cars or coaches, and are numbered in the range 444001-045. Each unit is formed of two outer driving motors, two intermediate trailers, and an intermediate buffet coach. The description of this formation is DMSO+TSO+TSO+TSRMB+DMCO. Individual vehicles are numbered as follows.
Units have end-gangways, which allows people to move between units when they are used in multiple on services. Trains are limited to a 10-coach length (i.e. two units) as longer trains cannot be accommodated in stations. The fleet is painted in SWT's express livery of white, with a blue window band, and red/orange swishes at the cab ends.
Each five car unit has a first class section taking up just over half of one car at one end, first class seats have BS 1363
sockets providing AC power suitable for laptops or mobile phone charges, while the car at the other end is standard class throughout and appears ordinary but has BS1363 sockets under the tables.
Like all new build third rail
stock in the UK, one coach in each unit is fitted with a recess for a pantograph
. This allows for a future conversion to AC overhead power.
.
The units were introduced on services from London Waterloo
to Portsmouth Harbour
via the Portsmouth Direct Line
. Units were also used on some services on the South Western Main Line
to Southampton Central, and . This allowed the withdrawal of the final 4Cep
units by mid-2004, and inroads were made to the 4Bep, 4Cig
and 4Vep
fleets.
It was originally hoped that the final slam-door units would be withdrawn by 31 December 2004. However, some were allowed to remain operational until May 2005 as the last replacement Desiros came into service. Initially, the Class 444 units were primarily used on the Portsmouth direct services, allowing the Wessex Electric
units to be used on the Weymouth line. The Class 444 units were also used regularly on Sunday-only Bournemouth stopping services, Waterloo to Southampton services and the Brockenhurst to Wareham shuttle service. Previous power limitations on the line west of Poole
meant that units were not permitted to run west of the town, the power limitations have since been lifted.
During 2007, the Class 444 units replaced the Wessex Electric
s (Class 442) on the Weymouth line. Some 442 diagrams were taken over by 444s as early as November 2006 with the final 442 being withdrawn from passenger service in February 2007. Class 444s transferred to the Weymouth line were replaced on Portsmouth services by Class 450 Desiros
which became available after the reintroduction of the Class 458 units
on the Waterloo to Reading
line. The decision to transfer many 444 units to the Weymouth line was not a popular one. Portsmouth line passengers protested over the use of class 450s on some services. While there were complaints that the 444s were inferior to the units they replaced on the Weymouth line.
Class 444s are currently used on the following services:
In June 2007, it was reported in the Ipswich Evening Star that the Network Rail's Greater Anglia area Rail Utilisation Strategy was 'touting' the possibility of introducing a train based on the class 444 on the London - Ipswich - Norwich railway line.
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
Class 444 Desiro electrical multiple units were built in Germany by Siemens AG
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
from 2003-04. Forty-five of these units were built for express services for South West Trains
South West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
.
The Siemens "Desiro UK" family also includes units of Classes 185
British Rail Class 185
The Class 185 Pennine Desiro is a diesel multiple-unit passenger train of the Desiro type built by Siemens in Germany for the British train operating company First TransPennine Express.51 units were acquired, representing an investment of £250 million....
, 350
British Rail Class 350
The British Rail Class 350 "Desiro" is class of electrical multiple unit built by Siemens AG from 2004–05 and 2008–09. Thirty of these units, designated Class 350/1, were built for use by Central Trains and Silverlink on regional express services and services on the southern section of the West...
, 360
British Rail Class 360
The British Rail Class 360 electric multiple units were built by Siemens in two sub-types from 2002-2003 and 2004-2005. These units are part of the Siemens Desiro family.The Siemens "Desiro UK" family also includes units of Classes 185, 350, 380, 444 and 450....
, 380
British Rail Class 380
Class 380 is the designation given to a class of electric multiple unit trains which operate on the national railway network in Scotland.- Description :...
, and 450
British Rail Class 450
The British Rail Class 450 third-rail DC EMU began service during 2003. They are a part of the Siemens Desiro modular train family and are more commonly known as the 'Blue Desiro'...
.
Description
At the dawn of the 21st century, as part of its franchise agreement, South West TrainsSouth West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
(SWT) was required to order new trains to replace the old slam-door stock of Classes 411
British Rail Class 411
The British Rail Class 411 electrical multiple units were built at Eastleigh works from 1956-63 for the newly electrified main lines in Kent. These units were based on the earlier Southern Railway 4Cor design, built in 1937. They were replaced by Juniper units.-Description:A total of 133 units...
, 412
British Rail Class 411
The British Rail Class 411 electrical multiple units were built at Eastleigh works from 1956-63 for the newly electrified main lines in Kent. These units were based on the earlier Southern Railway 4Cor design, built in 1937. They were replaced by Juniper units.-Description:A total of 133 units...
, 421
British Rail Class 421
The British Rail Class 421 electrical multiple units were built at BR York Works between 1964 and 1972. Units were built in two batches, and were initially introduced on services on the Brighton Main Line. Later units were introduced on services to Portsmouth. These units replaced older Southern...
and 423
British Rail Class 423
The British Rail Class 423 electrical multiple units were built by BR at York Works from 1967 to 1974, although the MBSOs and TSOs of the first 20, 7701-7720, were constructed at Derby Works. They feature manually-opening doors next to every seating row and were the last coaching stock built in...
. Therefore, in April 2001, an order was placed with Siemens AG
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
for 785 vehicles. This order was originally to be split as 100 four-car Class 450/0
British Rail Class 450
The British Rail Class 450 third-rail DC EMU began service during 2003. They are a part of the Siemens Desiro modular train family and are more commonly known as the 'Blue Desiro'...
outer-suburban units, 32 five-car Class 450/2 inner-suburban units and 45 five-car Class 444 express units.
The Class 444 fleet was built by Siemens at its Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
plant in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Before shipping to Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
via the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
, units were extensively tested at the test-track at Wildenrath
Wildenrath
Wildenrath is a township within the municipality of Wegberg in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The town is situated on the Bundesstraße 221 between Wassenberg and Arsbeck on the edge of the Maas-Schwalm-Nette Nature Park and close to the border with the Netherlands.For 40 years, the town was the...
. This extensive testing procedure was performed as in attempt to reduce the time taken for new trains to enter service, by ironing out any problems beforehand. Many other designs of new train, such as the Bombardier
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
Class 375
British Rail Class 375
The British Rail Class 375 Electrostar electric multiple unit train was built by Bombardier Transportation at their Derby Works, from 1999 to 2005...
and Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
Class 458
British Rail Class 458
The South West Trains Class 458 electrical multiple units were built by Alstom at Washwood Heath between 1998 and 2002. These units are part of Alstom's Juniper family of units, which also includes Classes 334 and 460.-Description:...
units, had been plagued by problems and poor reliability. The Desiro fleet entered service faster than its competitors, but the trains still suffered from teething problems.
Units are formed of five cars or coaches, and are numbered in the range 444001-045. Each unit is formed of two outer driving motors, two intermediate trailers, and an intermediate buffet coach. The description of this formation is DMSO+TSO+TSO+TSRMB+DMCO. Individual vehicles are numbered as follows.
- 63801-63845 - DMCO
- 67201-67245 - TSRMB - fitted with Pantograph Well
- 67101-67145 - TSO
- 67151-67195 - TSO
- 63851-63895 - DMSO
Units have end-gangways, which allows people to move between units when they are used in multiple on services. Trains are limited to a 10-coach length (i.e. two units) as longer trains cannot be accommodated in stations. The fleet is painted in SWT's express livery of white, with a blue window band, and red/orange swishes at the cab ends.
Each five car unit has a first class section taking up just over half of one car at one end, first class seats have BS 1363
BS 1363
BS 1363 is a British Standard which specifies the most common type of single-phase AC power plugs and sockets that are used in the United Kingdom. Distinctive characteristics of the system are shutters on the line and neutral socket holes, and a fuse in the plug...
sockets providing AC power suitable for laptops or mobile phone charges, while the car at the other end is standard class throughout and appears ordinary but has BS1363 sockets under the tables.
Like all new build third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
stock in the UK, one coach in each unit is fitted with a recess for a pantograph
Pantograph (rail)
A pantograph for rail lines is a hinged electric-rod device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams. The pantograph typically connects to a one-wire line, with the track acting as the ground wire...
. This allows for a future conversion to AC overhead power.
Awards
Class 444 trains have been awarded with the "Golden Spanner 2010" as Great Britain's most reliable trains by the Modern Railways journal. During twelve months, the vehicle feet operated by SWT has set a new reliability record of almost 89,000 kilometres per technical delay.Operations
The first Class 444 units entered service with SWT in early 2004. As part of their launch into traffic, unit no. 444018 was named "The Fab 444" at a ceremony at London WaterlooWaterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
.
The units were introduced on services from London Waterloo
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
to Portsmouth Harbour
Portsmouth Harbour railway station
Portsmouth Harbour railway station is a railway station in Portsmouth, England. It is situated beside Gunwharf Quays in the city's harbour, and is an important transport terminal, with a bus interchange and ferry services to Gosport and the Isle of Wight. The station currently has four platforms:...
via the Portsmouth Direct Line
Portsmouth Direct Line
The Portsmouth Direct Line is the route of a railway service operated by South West Trains which runs between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour, England...
. Units were also used on some services on the South Western Main Line
South Western Main Line
The South Western Main Line is a railway line between London Waterloo and Weymouth on the Dorset coast, in the south of England. It is a major railway which serves many important commuter areas, as well as the major settlements of Southampton and Bournemouth...
to Southampton Central, and . This allowed the withdrawal of the final 4Cep
British Rail Class 411
The British Rail Class 411 electrical multiple units were built at Eastleigh works from 1956-63 for the newly electrified main lines in Kent. These units were based on the earlier Southern Railway 4Cor design, built in 1937. They were replaced by Juniper units.-Description:A total of 133 units...
units by mid-2004, and inroads were made to the 4Bep, 4Cig
British Rail Class 421
The British Rail Class 421 electrical multiple units were built at BR York Works between 1964 and 1972. Units were built in two batches, and were initially introduced on services on the Brighton Main Line. Later units were introduced on services to Portsmouth. These units replaced older Southern...
and 4Vep
British Rail Class 423
The British Rail Class 423 electrical multiple units were built by BR at York Works from 1967 to 1974, although the MBSOs and TSOs of the first 20, 7701-7720, were constructed at Derby Works. They feature manually-opening doors next to every seating row and were the last coaching stock built in...
fleets.
It was originally hoped that the final slam-door units would be withdrawn by 31 December 2004. However, some were allowed to remain operational until May 2005 as the last replacement Desiros came into service. Initially, the Class 444 units were primarily used on the Portsmouth direct services, allowing the Wessex Electric
British Rail Class 442
The British Rail Class 442 Wessex Electric electrical multiple units were introduced in 1988 on the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo to Southampton Central, Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth. Twenty-four of these 5-car units were built in 1988/89 by BREL at its Derby works...
units to be used on the Weymouth line. The Class 444 units were also used regularly on Sunday-only Bournemouth stopping services, Waterloo to Southampton services and the Brockenhurst to Wareham shuttle service. Previous power limitations on the line west of Poole
Poole railway station
thumb|right|Down stopping train in 1958Poole railway station is a railway station on the South Western Main Line serving the town of Poole in Dorset, England. The station is situated in the town centre next to Holes Bay...
meant that units were not permitted to run west of the town, the power limitations have since been lifted.
During 2007, the Class 444 units replaced the Wessex Electric
British Rail Class 442
The British Rail Class 442 Wessex Electric electrical multiple units were introduced in 1988 on the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo to Southampton Central, Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth. Twenty-four of these 5-car units were built in 1988/89 by BREL at its Derby works...
s (Class 442) on the Weymouth line. Some 442 diagrams were taken over by 444s as early as November 2006 with the final 442 being withdrawn from passenger service in February 2007. Class 444s transferred to the Weymouth line were replaced on Portsmouth services by Class 450 Desiros
British Rail Class 450
The British Rail Class 450 third-rail DC EMU began service during 2003. They are a part of the Siemens Desiro modular train family and are more commonly known as the 'Blue Desiro'...
which became available after the reintroduction of the Class 458 units
British Rail Class 458
The South West Trains Class 458 electrical multiple units were built by Alstom at Washwood Heath between 1998 and 2002. These units are part of Alstom's Juniper family of units, which also includes Classes 334 and 460.-Description:...
on the Waterloo to Reading
Reading railway station
Reading railway station is a major rail transport hub in the English town of Reading. It is situated on the northern edge of the town centre, close to the main retail and commercial areas, and also the River Thames...
line. The decision to transfer many 444 units to the Weymouth line was not a popular one. Portsmouth line passengers protested over the use of class 450s on some services. While there were complaints that the 444s were inferior to the units they replaced on the Weymouth line.
Class 444s are currently used on the following services:
- Waterloo to Alton (peak services)
- Waterloo to Basingstoke (peak services)
- Waterloo to Poole (shared with Class 450British Rail Class 450The British Rail Class 450 third-rail DC EMU began service during 2003. They are a part of the Siemens Desiro modular train family and are more commonly known as the 'Blue Desiro'...
) - Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour via Guildford (shared with Class 450British Rail Class 450The British Rail Class 450 third-rail DC EMU began service during 2003. They are a part of the Siemens Desiro modular train family and are more commonly known as the 'Blue Desiro'...
) - Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour via Basingstoke and Fareham (shared with Class 450British Rail Class 450The British Rail Class 450 third-rail DC EMU began service during 2003. They are a part of the Siemens Desiro modular train family and are more commonly known as the 'Blue Desiro'...
) - Waterloo to Weymouth via Winchester and Southampton Central
In June 2007, it was reported in the Ipswich Evening Star that the Network Rail's Greater Anglia area Rail Utilisation Strategy was 'touting' the possibility of introducing a train based on the class 444 on the London - Ipswich - Norwich railway line.
Fleet details
| Class | Operator | No. Built | Year Built | Cars per Set | Unit nos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 444 | South West Trains | 45 | 2003-2004 | 5 | 444001 - 444045 |