The Southern Railway was one of four big pre-war rail companies

The rail firm says the change signals the start of improvements and harks back to an era of first class service.

Keith Ludeman, chief executive of Govia, which owns South Central, said the pre-war railway had a reputation for first class service and investment.

The rebranding exercise is set to cost the company �250,000.

Station improvements

Mr Ludeman said: "We are harking back to an era when the Southern Railway had a reputation for first-class service and first-class delivery of performance.

"It was a time when they invested a lot of money in upgrading the rolling stock, the infrastructure and the traction current to the Brighton mainline.

"That is what we now intend to do for the Southern railway and for the Brighton mainline in 2004."

The name change on 30 May comes just over a year after the company signed a seven-year franchise.

The company is promising new or refurbished trains across the network, completion of a �115m depot upgrade project and station improvements.

And the rail operator says it will provide better on-board services, new ticket machines and wireless internet access at stations and on trains.

James Abbott, of Modern Railways magazine, said: "It has to be said the Sussex railway has been lacking over the past few years.

"It is incumbent upon the company to improve the service on the ground so commuters can have faith in the new name."