The Department for Transport (DfT) has unveiled a new state-of-the-art train.

Ministers claimed the electric Class 700 vehicle will offer passengers a more comfortable and reliable service, with special benefits to help during the morning rush hour. 

Capacity will be increased by over 80 per cent between Blackfriars and St Pancras with the addition of twice as many carriages as before, while the number of seats from Peterborough to London will rise by 15 per cent.

The trains will form part of the government's £6.5 billion Thameslink project and have been built specifically to service the new network. Manufacturer Siemens expects that almost 2,000 jobs will be created in the supply chain process, in sectors such as assembly, depots construction and train maintenance. 

Rail minister Stephen Hammond said: "Once operational they will provide a huge benefit to the hundreds of thousands of passengers who travel into London every day." 

The new trains will be brought into service in the beginning of 2016, with vehicles being released at an increasing rate until one is introduced each week. They will initially run between Bedford and Brighton and the Wimbledon routes, before being deployed across the wider network as the new infrastructure is completed.