Changes on Grand Central's Bradford to London services could be seen by passengers as early as the new year, as a £7.8 million investment programme begins.

Trains and stations are to be revamped as part of a project aimed at improving the reliability, capacity and comfort of Grand Central services over the next 12 years, the Bradford Telegraph and Argus reports.

Leather seats will be installed in first class and improvements are to be made to facilities across the standard class carriages. New LED lighting will boost the reliability of power sockets for electronic devices, while Wi-Fi connections will also be improved.

In addition, Grand Central is to expand the capacity of its busiest trains by 20 per cent by adding carriages on peak services.

Some £5.2 million is to be spent on refurbishment, with the remaining £2.6 million earmarked for improving passenger facilities at the stations.

Richard McClean, managing director of Grand Central Rail, said: "We've listened to our passengers and the investments we're making will improve the reliability of services as well as the comfort and reliability of our on-board facilities."