BUSY commuters will soon be able to hold networking events and boardroom meetings on custom-made trains.

Bournemouth-based Seventa Events has collaborated with a new operator to the South West Rail Network – Speedyrail.

The collaboration, called Networking Rail, will see new trains purchased, with each carriage turned into a different event venue throughout the train.

The new trains will have several different carriages, which will all be fully-functioning venues, with all of the usual features businesspeople would expect from a venue of a similar size - and slightly bigger.

Each venue on the train will be available for private hire for a range of events, including networking events, training sessions/seminars, boardroom meetings, private events, and private lunches.

The idea behind the venture sprang from the continued growth of commuting throughout the UK. According to the 2011 census, 616,719 people commute to and from London from other areas within the UK, with the south of England having one of the busiest routes into London.

As the fastest growing digital economy in the UK, the first routes will be travelling between Bournemouth and London.

With more and more people spending time commuting to and from London, and often not being able to use the time spent travelling efficiently, Networking Rail says it will be “giving people back two to four hours of their day”.

They have already agreed a sponsorship for the networking carriage from the increasingly popular Pure Networking.

Dion McCarthy, founder of Pure Networking, said: “Networking on-the-go is a fantastic idea. It saves time and enables commuters to network and socialise with a wide range of business owners and professionals. You never know who you’ll meet on board!”