Old 1980s rolling stock that was taken out of service with considerable fanfare, including a ticket-only retirement celebration, is still being used to cover shortages across South Western Railway services.

The train operator staged a high-profile farewell for its Class 455 trains, charging £45 a ticket for what was billed as the fleet’s final ever journey, with the proceeds going to charity.

However, the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands the older units are still being deployed to cover shortfalls when newer trains are unavailable, notably on the Hampton Court to Waterloo route.

In December last year, around 9,000 rail enthusiasts reportedly attempted to secure one of the 400 tickets for the advertised final service from Waterloo. Demand was so strong that a second train was added.

The event was promoted as marking the last passenger journeys of the Class 455 fleet, which was due to be phased out and replaced by the new Class 701 Arterio trains.

Thousands gathered to mark the occasion and say farewell to the red trains, which have served Surrey and the wider South Western network for decades. The ceremony involved a nine-hour round trip from Waterloo across the network.

South Western Railway (SWR) marked the occasion with an article titled ‘Train enthusiasts bid farewell to iconic red trains after almost 43 years of service’.

Among those taking part was social media rail enthusiast Francis Bourgeois.

South Western Railways said at the time the December event was intended to celebrate the life of the Class 455 trains, which were first introduced in the 1980s, ahead of their withdrawal from timetabled services.

The operator has since confirmed that some of the trains were retained as a contingency.

A spokesperson for SWR said: “The Class 455 fleet of trains was withdrawn from our timetable at the end of 2025. A small number were retained for resilience purposes, to cover any eventuality that may affect the trains we use on our suburban network.”