Commuters and rail passengers on west London suburban routes to London Waterloo may be able to board new ten-carriage trains with toilets and faster Wi-Fi in two years’ time.

First Group and MTR signed an £895million rail and maintenance contract contract with train and plane supplier Bombardier Transportation for 750 of its Aventra vehicles last month.

The two rail providers take over the South Western franchise – which includes lines to Waterloo starting at Shepperton, Dorking, Reading, and Weymouth – on August 20.

The new trains will operate on the Windsor, Reading and west London suburban routes, and will start to come online from mid-2019, with a full rollout expected by December 2020, Bombardier stated.

Steve Montgomery, managing director of First Rail, said: “We have exciting plans for the South Western rail franchise and these new trains are an important step on the way to delivering an improved journey experience for our passengers.

“We know from listening to passengers and stakeholders that alongside improved performance, what they want to see is additional seats and we will deliver this via state-of-the-art trains.”

The trains will also include “wide-open” gangways, air conditioning, USB sockets, and an “improved passenger information system”, a Bombardier spokesperson boasted.

Richard Hunter, the manufacturer’s UK managing director, said he was “thrilled” to have won the contract.

“It demonstrates further confidence placed in this market-leading rolling stock, designed and built in Britain,” he added.

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