continuing delays to the Class 701 program kept all four older fleets in use into the 2020s. In March 2021 South Western Railway announced that it was abandoning its plans to use refurbished units for long-distance services to and from London on the Portsmouth Direct line, citing continuing technical difficulties and future problems complying with accessibility regulations. To make up for the shortfall, 28 Class 458 units will be refurbished and redeployed in their place. The refurbishment will be performed by Alstom at Widnes in Cheshire at a cost of £25 million and will involve returning each unit to its original four-car formation, restoring the original maximum speed of , and reconfiguration of the passenger saloons. The reconfigured units will be leased from Porterbrook until 2027 at the earliest and are to be based at Bournemouth Traction and Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot. The first two units to be sent for refurbishment, 458507 and 458517, arrived at Widnes by mid-August 2022. Incidents On 30 January 2015, a small explosion occurred underneath a driving vehicle of unit 458501 near Windsor & Eton Riverside station. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch determined that this was caused by a join between three underfloor power cables not being secured correctly when the unit was rebuilt in 2014. On 21 December 2019, unit 458519 was involved in a collision with a car between Wokingham and Bracknell. Nobody was seriously injured. Fleet details References Further reading 458 Alstom Coradia Juniper Train-related introductions in 2000 Train-related introductions in 2013 750 V DC multiple units Alstom multiple units