Kelly pledges 14,500 more seats for busiest routes

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly announced another 14,500 seats for passengers on Thameslink who may also benefit from wi-fi on more services.

The fleet of carriages on the routes - which include the Brighton to Bedford line - will rise from 720 to around 1,100 by the end of 2015, with many trains increasing from eight to 12 carriages from spring 2012.

All rolling stock will be bought by private firms for an expected £1.4billion to lease to the train operating companies.

Announcing the latest development in the Government's £5.5 billion upgrade to Thameslink, Ms Kelly said: "This will mean 14,500 more seats on some of the most overcrowded commuter routes into London, improving journeys for passengers on the line from Brighton to Bedford and other Thameslink routes."

The additional rolling stock is another victory for the Evening Standard's a Seat for Every Commuter campaign.

The new trains will operate through central London between King's Cross St Pancras and Blackfriars.

Commuter groups including Passenger Focus and London TravelWatch played a role in ensuring passengers' views were taken into account during the design of the new trains which could include wi-fi.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of Passenger Focus, said: "The research into what passengers need from new trains on the Thameslink route is ground-breaking and positive."

The upgrading of the network aims to tackle the current bottlenecks at London Bridge by the end of 2015 so 18 Thameslink trains per hour serve this station.

Six more trains per hour running via Elephant & Castle will increase capacity through central London to 24 trains an hour between Blackfriars and St Pancras International, with the majority of them being 12-carriages long.

First Capital Connect, Southeastern and Southern run trains on Thameslink-which is used by 130,000 people a day and has one of the worst records for overcrowding. Half the passengers are regularly unable to get on their train because it is so full, according to a poll.

The new energy-efficient trains will aim to be more environmentally friendly and cause less wear and tear on the tracks which officials stressed should reduce disruptive repair and maintenance work.

The first new trains should be tested in autumn 2011.

Current Thameslink rolling stock will be released to other parts of the network to provide extra capacity and tackle overcrowding.

The Brighton-Bedford service will also take delivery of 44 new carriages this year. It will mean more rush-hour services having eight carriages.