British Rail Class 466

The British Rail Class 466 Networker are electric multiple unit passenger trains that were built by Metro-Cammell between 1993 and 1994. The units are currently operated by Southeastern.

Description

The Class 466 EMUs were built between 1993 and 1994 by Metro-Cammell in Washwood Heath, for the Network SouthEast sector of British Rail. As part of the privatisation of British Rail, all were sold to Angel Trains. They were operated by Network SouthEast until 1996, and then by Connex South Eastern until 2003, South Eastern Trains until 2006 and Southeastern to the present day.

Each of these units is formed of two coaches that have dimensions of 20.89 m × 2.81 m (68 ft 6 in × 9 ft 3 in) and a top speed of 75 mph (121 km/h).

Due to the units non-compliance with modern accessibility standards, since 1 January 2021 Class 466 units can only operate in multiple with Class 465s, providing 6-car or 10-car suburban services out of Charing Cross, Cannon Street and Victoria mainline stations to various destinations in South East London and Kent. Before this however, they were also often used as individual units on branch lines, mainly the Sheerness Line between Sittingbourne and Sheerness, displacing the Class 508/2s which operated on this branch line, on the Bromley North branch between Grove Park and Bromley North, as well as the Medway Valley line between Strood, Maidstone West and Paddock Wood, during this time they sometimes ran doubled up to make 4-car units, which helped reduce the poor adhesion along the line with single 2-car units. The units have since been replaced on the Medway Valley line and the Sheerness line with Class 375 units (predominately the 3-car variants) in 2012 and 2019 respectively. The units were replaced with 4-car Class 465 units on the Bromley North line in January 2021.

These two-car EMUs are formed of a driving motor carriage (DMSO: Driving Motor Standard Open) and a driving trailer carriage (DTSOL, with lavatory); all on-board seating is standard accommodation. A Solid State Traction Converter package controls 3-phase AC Traction motors, which allows for Rheostatic or Regenerative Dynamic braking. Primary braking system is electro-pneumatically actuated disc brakes, which is blended with the Dynamic brakes. Speed Probes on every axle of the unit provide for Wheel Slip/Slide Protection. A solid-state Auxiliary Converter provides 110 V DC and 240 V AC supplies; this is the source of the loud whining noise which can be heard when the train is stationary. The Aux Converter is located on the driving trailer, along with the toilet. The units use air-operated sliding plug doors.

The first two Class 466 units to be put into storage were sent to Worksop in June 2021.

In early 2025, some of the Class 466 fleet began to be sent for scrapping.

Refurbishment

The 466s were repainted by Wabtec Rail at Doncaster Works into a variation of Southeastern livery with lilac doors and midnight blue lower band.

Fleet details

Accidents and incidents

On 5 February 2007 a bridge inspection unit working on the M20 motorway was deployed over a railway bridge between Maidstone Barracks and Aylesford stations. The gantry on the bridge inspection unit was struck by 466041 working a Paddock Wood to Gillingham service, causing significant damage to the leading carriage and wrecking the gantry. The train driver and the sole passenger were slightly injured. Nobody was on the gantry at the time.