Other improvements will include walk-through carriages and improved accessibility, and the build of the new fleet is due to begin immediately.

“These 45 new trains will significantly improve the comfort, reliability and overall quality of train services for our customers,” Mike Brown, managing director of London Rail, said in a statement.

Some of the trains we have inherited along the West Anglia route are over 30 years old and have not been in use for some time. We're now working hard to overhaul these trains to make them more reliable until the new trains come into service from 2018.

The routes affected

The new trains will operate on the Liverpool Street to Enfield Town, Cheshunt (via Seven Sisters) and Chingford routes, which became part of the TfL network in May, as well as on the routes between Barking and Gospel Oak and between Romford and Upminster.

TfL says the improved service will also increase train frequencies on other routes.

Ordering new trains for the Gospel Oak to Barking line and West Anglia route together, as well as including a provision to order more trains should passenger demand warrant additional capacity, ensures that we get best value for money for our customers.

ALCATEL NOTICE: The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) recently advised on the need for a ‘standstill’ period between the notification of an award decision in a contract tendered via the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) and the conclusion of the contract with the successful supplier(s).

OGC’s advice is based on discussions between the UK and the European Commission on the implications for UK regulations of two linked European Court of Justice cases – now commonly knownas the ‘Alcatel Case’. The findings of this case were that an effective remedy must be available to suppliers to challenge an award decision by, for example, application to the High Court for an award decision to be overturned.