The £117m refurbishment will initially benefit passengers travelling on Avanti’s West Coast line from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston.
The operator said they will “look and feel like new trains”, with more comfortable seats, a redesigned shop and better on-board information.
The tilting, electric powered Pendolinos, or ‘Pendos’, were originally introduced nearly two decades ago in July 2002 and could travel at faster speeds on curved tracks due to their unique design.
Customers onboard Monday’s 05:05 Manchester Piccadilly to London service were the first to travel on the upgraded Pendolino after which it made a round trip to Liverpool before coming into Euston for its launch ceremony. It will visit other destinations such as Birmingham, the Lakes, Glasgow and Edinburgh during its normal course of work.
Rail minister Wendy Morton said: “The iconic Pendolino is back and better than ever before. This refurbished version of the classic fleet is a fantastic...