VIRGIN Trains has announced a £21 million refurbishment programme for its fleet of 45 trains on the East Coast route from York to London and Edinburgh.

More than 400 carriages will be given a complete refurbishment, with 24,123 seats replaced, and leather seats will be fitted in First Class.

Toilets will be refurbished, new carpets and curtains will be fitted and 35 new engines will be installed on the diesel High Speed Train fleet as part of a £16 million contract with engine manufacturer MTU.

There will also be further work on the exterior of the fleet.

The investment means the company will have committed more than £40 million to improving its train fleet since it launched its East Coast franchise in March, as part of plans to invest £140 million over eight years.

Managing director David Horne said that since the company started running the railway, the bar had been raised by customers who rightly demanded a high quality customer experience - "something which they would expect from a Virgin business, as well as getting great value for money."

He said: "That’s exactly what we’ve been working hard to deliver with this multi-million investment in our trains, not only one of the biggest investments of its kind ever seen on the East Coast route, but also three years ahead of the introduction of new Super Express Trains as part of the Government’s InterCity Express programme.

“We’re investing now so our customers can benefit from new seats and a great new on-board environment before we get a new fleet of 65 trains from 2018.”

The refurbishment work will be carried out at the company’s Bounds Green depot in London and its Craigentinny depot in Edinburgh.

The first fully refurbished train will enter service on December 14 when Virgin launches a new service between Sunderland and London.