The Class 455 Farewell Tour – Sunday 21 December 2025
In recognition of the Class 455 fleet’s role in the lives of millions of customers, their popularity with rail enthusiasts, and to mark the end of an era on the British railway network, SWR, Network Rail and the Branch Line Society will run a special charter service on Sunday 21 December 2025, raising money for The Alex Wardle Foundation, Macmillan, and Railway Children.
The ‘Class 455 Farewell’ tour will include some familiar places on the suburban network, such as Epsom and Kingston, along with a few special routes and locations, such as the District Line’s branch between East Putney and Wimbledon, plus Haslemere on the Portsmouth Direct Line.
400 tickets first went on sale on Monday 10 November and, incredibly, they sold out in just 15 seconds! Demand was so high that there were enough ticket applications for almost five trains.
Recognising the tour’s popularity, we will run a second train on Sunday 21 December, travelling on the same route, departing for its first leg at around 10:30am, from London Waterloo.
Tickets for this second train went on sale in December and once again sold out very quickly, raising even more money for our chosen charities.
Macmillan Cancer Support has been chosen in honour of our colleague James Mckinnon, who passed away in January. The Alex Wardle Foundation has been chosen in honour of our colleague Steve Wardle, who passed away in October. Railway Children, fights to protect children alone and at risk on the streets and transport networks in the UK, India, and Tanzania.
A big thank you
We have seen a huge amount of enthusiasm for the Class 455 Farewell and would like to thank everyone for their interest.
We look forward to seeing ticket holders on Sunday 21 December.
