As part of the privatisation of British Rail, the 442 class were sold to Angel Trains and leased to South West Trains.
Unit 442402 soon had an orange stripe added to its Network SouthEast livery, which looked very similar to Stagecoach's corporate image.
From 1998, the units began to receive the new South West Trains livery of white, red and blue as they underwent overhaul at Crewe Works.
Unit 442404 was the first to be so treated.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the fleet continued to operate express services from London to both Weymouth and Portsmouth.
However, in 2004, when the Class 444s entered service, the 442s were again used solely on the Weymouth line.
In early 2006, the fleet began to receive overhauls, with units emerging in a slightly revised livery which conformed with the Disability Discrimination Act.
By January 2007 14 of the 24 units had received overhauls.

Despite their recent overhauls, South West Trains withdrew the entire fleet in 2007.
They were replaced by Class 444s, augmented by Class 450s, spare from the re-introduction of Class 458s.

The last Class 442 Weymouth to London Waterloo operation was on 24 January 2007 with the final service on 3 February 2007.
The units were moved from Bournemouth Traincare Depot to Eastleigh Works for warm storage.
As part of the privatisation of British Rail, the 442 class were sold to Angel Trains and leased to South West Trains. Unit 442402 soon had an orange stripe added to its Network SouthEast livery, which looked very similar to Stagecoach's corporate image. From 1998, the units began to receive the new South West Trains livery of white, red and blue as they underwent overhaul at Crewe Works. Unit 442404 was the first to be so treated.
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the fleet continued to operate express services from London to both Weymouth and Portsmouth. However, in 2004, when the Class 444s entered service, the 442s were again used solely on the Weymouth line. In early 2006, the fleet began to receive overhauls, with units emerging in a slightly revised livery which conformed with the Disability Discrimination Act. By January 2007 14 of the 24 units had received overhauls.
Despite their recent overhauls, South West Trains withdrew the entire fleet in 2007. They were replaced by Class 444s, augmented by Class 450s, spare from the re-introduction of Class 458s.
The last Class 442 Weymouth to London Waterloo operation was on 24 January 2007 with the final service on 3 February 2007. The units were moved from Bournemouth Traincare Depot to Eastleigh Works for warm storage.
British Rail Class 442