Links between the northwest, the midlands and London are to be improved thanks to the introduction of more than 100 new tilting trains.

The government has signed a deal with Alstom, a transport infrastructure company, to produce 106 Pendolino trains and carriages for West Coast Main Line.

This means that passengers can look forward to an additional 7,420 seats by the end of 2012. There is also an option to obtain a further 42 carriages by early 2013 if there is sufficient demand.

Ruth Kelly, the transport secretary, said: "Our priority for the railways is increasing capacity and this will provide much needed extra seats on the busiest services from London to Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow."

The West Coast Main Line is the busiest rail artery in the UK.

According to the Greater Manchester chamber of commerce, more than a third of the line's annual 25 million passengers are business travellers who rely on peak-time services.