The fleet of high-speed Javelin trains on the Southeastern network in Kent are being upgraded in a £27 million revamp.

Starting in March next year, they will see 29 trains upgraded with new carpets and seats and a new layout designed to assist people with reduced mobility.

The revamp will start next March taking about seven months to complete at the Southeastern Ashford depot.

The project is a joint venture between Eversholt Rail, Southeastern and Hitachi Rail, to upgrade the Class 395 Javelin trains that run between London St Pancras and Ashford, and on to the coast.

The full interior refresh with new carpets and seats and seating layouts to assist people with reduced mobility. There will also be LED lighting, USB charging, and a live passenger information system, plus new CCTV.

The Javelin fleet will be one of the first in the UK to install Hitachi Rail’s digital infrastructure monitoring technology.

Exterior roof mounted high-definition cameras focused on the pantograph – the device that collects power from the overhead wires to power the train – will provide live monitoring of overhead lines and surrounding equipment to improve trackside maintenance.

Mark Johnson, engineering director for Southeastern, said: "We’re proud to run the UK’s fastest domestic passenger services which have been crucial to the continued regeneration and prosperity of many places on our network, and we’re looking forward to working with Eversholt Rail and Hitachi Rail to complete this upgrade across the entirety of the 140mph Javelin fleet.

"When finished, it will bring the fleet up to the very latest standards and ensure that standards of comfort, accessibility and information provision are as high as possible for our customers, improving the on-board environment for our customers who like to work or use personal devices when travelling with us."

The high speed service started in 2009.

Trains take 37 minutes to travel from Ashford to London.