A FLEET of 90 new commuter trains for the South West franchise will be built in Britain, it has been confirmed.

New South Western franchise operators FirstGroup and MTR have signed a £895 million order for the new trains - including 750 new carriages - to be built at the Bombardier plant in Derby.

Bombardier is the country’s oldest train manufacturing site, and one of only two left in the UK.

The new ‘AVENTRA’ trains will replace German-made Siemens carriages ordered by the outgoing franchise holder, Stagecoach.

FirstGroup, which will take over the franchise with Hong Kong-based MTR from August 20, said the trains will provide a 46 per cent increase in peak capacity on the suburban routes into Waterloo.

They also promise free Wi-Fi, at-seat charging points, real-time information screens, air conditioning, wide gangways and wide doors to improve ease of boarding and alighting.

In addition, the operator says they will be capable of 100mph, be highly energy efficient and will contribute to reduced journey times.

The new trains will start to come into service from mid-2019 and will all be in place by December 2020.

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.”