Abellio UK has today confirmed a deal worth almost £1.5bn to replace all of its existing trains operating in East Anglia.

The company, which was recently awarded a nine year rail franchise to run services in the region, said it was the largest-ever privately procured order for trains in the UK

Two new fleets of 1,043 carriages will be introduced to the franchise between Spring 2019 and Autumn 2020.

They will be built by Bombardier in Derby and Stadler in Switzerland, and will replace the existing fleets currently in operation.

Abellio said it has finalised contracts worth over £600m to procure and finance the purchase of new intercity and regional train fleets from Stadler.

The company's FLIRT trains, which will be built for the needs and specifications of the railways of East Anglia, are already in service on the rail networks of several European countries.

The 58 trains that make up the Stadler deal, comprise of 378 vehicles with a combination of Intercity Electric Multiple Units and Regional Bi-mode Multiple Units, which can run under electric or diesel power.

They are the first major passenger fleet order in the UK for Stadler and will run on the following routes:

• InterCity services between London and Norwich.

• Stansted Express airport services from London to Stansted Airport.

• Key regional services in East Anglia.

Dominic Booth, managing director of Abellio UK, said: 'Our ambitious plans for the new franchise are centred on the largest-ever privately-funded train procurement in the UK to give the people of East Anglia high quality trains as part of a transformation of the region's railway.

'They will be the centrepiece of many other improvements including more frequent services, faster journeys and more capacity with 55% more seats into London in the morning peak'.