In their original (4 car) form, 458s were prohibited from south of Haslemere on the Direct (I remember that the pre-refurb-farewell railtour had to turn back there). Which poses some questions that someone on here might be able to answer:
Does that restriction still apply in rebuilt (5 car) form?
Was/is it based on an actual issue on the route, or was it just that since there's no need for them to use the line, there was no point in carrying out the relevant checks?
If there was/is an actual issue, what work may now be needed to remove it?
TIA for any information.