DESPERATE commuters are pleading with rail bosses to speed up the rollout of new c2c trains amid growing uncertainty over when they will be brought into service. 

The firm announced in April that it planned to replace the existing trains with new ones before the end of the year. 

It formed part of a £100 million deal which secured new 720 Aventra trains for the Shoebury to London Fenchurch Street line. 

But no further details have been announced on when the new state-of-the-art trains will be rolled out, leaving commuters in the dark.

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Hadrian Fletcher, a 24-year-old who regularly travels on c2c from Benfleet to West Ham, says the current trains are “so outdated” and commuters are desperate for something new.

He said: “The lack of space on board is unbearable during commuter hours.

“The chance of a seat on my commute would be a start, or even just smoother services.

“Ultimately, the worst part though isn’t the poor quality of trains, but to me it is the communication.

“We get promises of these new trains and improved services, yet we don’t hear anything about it for months.

“I think that commuters would like something to show for their money as it costs an awful lot to commute on c2c, so we want these new and improved trains to show for that as they would really make a difference.”

The Aventra is one of the fastest-selling trains in the UK rail industry.

Each train operates a fixed set of five carriages with more than 450 seats.

They will also have dedicated cycle storage, power and USB ports for every seat, Wi-Fi, toilets, and improved passenger information screens.

When asked by the Echo for an update on the new trains, a spokesman for c2c said the trains are still undergoing testing.

He said: “Our 720 class trains are currently undergoing rigorous testing.

“We will update our customers as soon as we have more information as to when they will be entering passenger service on the c2c route.”