British Rail Class 456

The British Rail Class 456 electric multiple units were passenger trains that were built by BREL at York Works from 1990-91. 24 two-car units were built as direct replacements for the elderly Class 416 2EPB units which operated on the Central Division of the Southern Region of British Rail. Units were delivered into traffic painted in Network SouthEast blue, red and white livery. These will be replaced by the new Bombardier Class 701 in 2021.

British Rail Class 456
South West Trains Class 456 approaching Guildford
Interior in June 2018, after refurbishment
In service	September 1991 – 17 January 2022
Manufacturer	British Rail Engineering Limited
Built at	Holgate Road Works, York
Family name	BR Second Generation (Mark 3)
Constructed	1990–1991
Refurbished	2005–2007 by Southern 2014–2015 by South West Trains
Scrapped	2022
Number built	24
Number scrapped	24
Successor	Class 377 (Southern)[1]
Formation	2 cars per unit: DMSO-DTSO
Fleet numbers	456001–456024
Capacity	152 seats
Owners	Porterbrook
Operators	Connex South Central Network SouthEast South West Trains South Western Railway Southern
Depots	Selhurst (Croydon) Wimbledon (London)
Specifications
Car body construction	Steel[2]
Car length	19.95 m (65 ft 5 in)[2]
Width	2.82 m (9 ft 3 in)[2]
Height	3.78 m (12 ft 5 in)[2]
Doors	Double-leaf pocket sliding (2 per side per car)
Wheelbase	14.17 m (46 ft 6 in) (over bogie centres)
Maximum speed	75 mph (121 km/h)
Weight	72.5 tonnes (71.4 long tons; 79.9 short tons)
Power output	500 hp (373 kW)
Electric system(s)	750 V DC third rail
Current collector(s)	Contact shoe
Minimum turning radius	71 m (232 ft 11 in)[2]
Braking system(s)	Air (Westcode)
Safety system(s)	AWS TPWS
Coupling system	Tightlock[2]
Multiple working	Within class, and with Class 455
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

Class 456 EMUs in Southern livery at London Victoria platforms 11 and 12.