Class 444

The Class 444 Desrio is a five coach 100mph intercity electric multiple unit formed of five coaches, which are currently being operated solely by South Western Railway, built by Siemens

History

In April 2001 an order 45 five coach units, this order also included the class 450s as part of a wider replacement of the Southern region slam door units made up of the classes 411, 412, 421 & 423, which did not meat modern health safety standards. The units where heavily tested in Germany before being shipped to the UK by the Channel Tunnel with the first unit entering service on the 21st of April 2004. The 444s saw the 411s completely withdrawn by 2004 and then the 421s and 423s by May 2005. Until 2006 the 444s prohibited west of Poole due to power limitations on the third rail. Once the 444s where permitted to Weymouth they replaced the Class 442 Wessex Electrics on the Weymouth diagrams, with the final 442 being withdrawn in February 2007. In March 2012 they regenerative braking was turned on after £2.2 million investment. In 2015 they were fitted with Automatic Selective Door Operation to reduce dwell times at short platforms. In 2017 the 45 strong fleet passed from South West Trains to South Western Railway. The class 444s are currently under going a refurbishment project which will see a reduced first class, as well as the replacement of the 2+1 seating with 2+2 seating. In May 2025 the 444s will transfer to Great British Railways.

Fleet Details

444/0 - 444001 to 444044