Train operating firm c2c has entered into an agreement with the UK Department for Transport (DfT) to benefit commuters from 13,000 extra seats at peak times every week and cope with an unexpected increase in demand.
The deal will see delivery of 24 new additional carriages by the end of the year, which is three years earlier than previously planned.
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Being built by Bombardier in Derby, the new carriages will be operated on the c2c route for the next three years.
Subject to the final signing of contracts, the new carriages will start entering passenger service from October.
According to c2c, the new trains will be leased until 2019 and increase the total size of its fleet to 320 carriages.
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The new vehicles will address the growth in local rail passengers in the past six months, with around 8% more passengers now travelling into London during the morning peak.
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By GlobalDataFrom 2019, the rail operator has existing plans to introduce 68 new carriages to the route.
c2c managing director Julian Drury said: "Extra carriages are absolutely vital for c2c to meet the surge in demand from passengers who want to travel. This agreement is hugely important, as we will now get new carriages on c2c within six months when they normally take years to be delivered.
"Combined with the other changes we are making in both the short-term and long-term, this is the most significant increase in capacity for c2c passengers for over a decade."
c2c started the procurement process for the first tranche of these new trains earlier this month, while the manufacturer is expected to be appointed later this year.
The new carriages augment the existing extra capacity supplied by c2c’s timetable changes in December and January, which increased the number of seats at peak times by 1,400 and provided room for more than 3,000 passengers.
UK rail minister Claire Perry said: "I have asked c2c to speed up the process of getting new trains for their customers and it is great to see this happening. This confirms c2c’s well-deserved reputation for customer care.
"These extra carriages will make a huge difference, allowing passengers to benefit from longer trains, more seats and better journeys along the busy c2c routes."
Earlier this year, c2c provided compensation to season ticket holders as a cash apology for the disruption faced following timetable changes in January.
