“Better WiFi for hundreds of trains under government plans“

[jazzy]

I was looking for discussion of this news from May this year but couldn’t find a thread:

BBC News: Better WiFi for hundreds of trains under government plans

The WiFi on hundreds of Britain's main line trains is set to be upgraded under government plans.
New technology will be rolled out on more than 1,400 trains across the UK allowing them to connect to low-earth satellites, which ministers say will provide faster and more reliable service than the mobile networks currently powering on-board WiFi.
A government source said the upgrade would "rocket boost connectivity on every main line train in Britain over the next few years, tackling both slow speeds and irritating not-spots".
Campaign groups welcomed the move but said passengers' main concerns remained the cost and reliability of rail travel.
The plans follow a trial of satellite connectivity across operators including LNER, South Western Railway and Great Western Railway, with the technology to be rolled out across nationalised main line services through funding worth £57m.
The government hopes it will improve WiFi availability across journeys from between 50-60% to at least 90%, and prove more effective than the current system of relying on 4G and 5G signal provided by local mobile network operators' masts.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is expected to make an announcement about the plans this summer.
Campaign group Rail Future told the BBC it was "absolutely right that reliability and capacity increase", calling WiFi "not just an add-on or a luxury".
Spokesman Bruce Williamson said patchy WiFi was not the "top priority" for passengers - "the key issues remain the cost of travel, overcrowding and reliability".
"But anything we can do to attract people onto the railways has got to be a good thing."
The Campaign for Better Transport, which advocates for sustainable and accessible travel, said the move would be a "real step change".
"It's worth taking a step to recognise how fantastic that is, and it adds a real USP to rail travel," said the campaign's Michael Solomon Williams.
He said unreliable internet was not something which had been stopping passengers from travelling via train - rather, the main issues were fares, delays and cancellations.
But he said it was not a matter of paying to fix one problem at the expense of another, and said ministers were working to tackle fares and service reliability.
Transport Focus, the independent watchdog representing the interests of Britain's public transport passengers, said it welcomed any improvements to tackling internet "blackspots".
"Rail passengers have been clear for years that reliable connectivity on trains is no longer a 'nice to have' - it's essential."
A government source said: "Getting online while on a train has been a perennial annoyance for passengers."
They said they were "tackling the bread-and-butter issues passengers care about most to build a railway people can rely on and be proud of" as they set up Great British Railway, a new umbrella body through which rail services and infrastructure will be operated.

Have I somehow failed to find the appropriate thread? If not, does anybody have more information on the technology, what has to be implemented and a timeline?

 

[nlogax]

This is something that's been on the agenda for a couple of years now, with the multiple PR announcements along the way. Going back to a parliamentary question posed to the DfT last September,

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-09-11/HL10461/

As part of a project called the 'Yellow Trains Exercise', the Department has asked Network Rail to collect data related to mobile signal strengths (2G, 3G, 4G and 5G) along the rail network, using antennas mounted on the top of Network Rail’s yellow engineering trains (“the yellow trains”). We will use this data to understand where areas of intervention are needed based on the signal strength data collected and this will be used to inform policy making. We expect the exercise to be completed next year.

In addition to this, the Department was also successful in securing funding as part of the Spending Review to fit all mainline trains with Low Earth Orbit satellite technology to upgrade on-train Wi-fi.

This works by installing satellite panels on the roof of a train - either one or two depending on the length of the train and equipment on board the train coverts this satellite signal into a Wi-Fi connection for passengers.

Trials using LEO have proven this technology provides high speeds – up to 200 megabits per second, enabling passengers to receive a much better mobile connection through the on-train Wi-Fi than they receive today.

The Department has also been working with Network Rail to deliver improved connectivity on the rail network. Project Reach, which will renew fibre optic cables and address 4G / 5G mobile signals in key mainline tunnels and stations was signed 26 June 2025 between Network Rail, and telecoms companies, Neos Networks and Freshwave.

What's still unclear to me is which LEO satellites they'll latch onto. My immediate assumption would be Starlink but happy to be corrected.

 

[Coleridge]

It would be more useful if the government were to improve the 5G coverage along railway routes (and in many other places). No-one would need WiFi then.

 

[jazzy]

It would be more useful if the government were to improve the 5G coverage along railway routes (and in many other places). No-one would need WiFi then.

As a CrossCountry train user (when there’s no alternative!), I’d beg to differ. Their mobile faraday cages (i.e. Voyagers with metallic glazing film) mean that decent WiFi is very much required. Even that won’t fix the lack of GPS reception meaning mapping apps have no idea where the train is.

 

[Djgr]

Wasn't Rishi planning to remove all the wifi?

 

[nlogax]

Wasn't Rishi planning to remove all the wifi?

He was indeed, and was utterly oblivious to the aforementioned Faraday cage issues that plague UK rolling stock - and not just Voyagers.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Should this thread be in the Traction & Rolling Stock section rather than Infrastructure? (Or is this because it’s deemed to be about satellites and lineside masts and ‘leaky’ cables?)

 

[jazzy]

Should this thread be in the Traction & Rolling Stock section rather than Infrastructure? (Or is this because it’s deemed to be about satellites and lineside masts and ‘leaky’ cables?)

That was my thinking with the choice of ‘infrastructure’…

I’m not fussy though.

 

[david1212]

It would be more useful if the government were to improve the 5G coverage along railway routes (and in many other places). No-one would need WiFi then.

First you are presuming everyone has a contract with a large data allowance.
Second to use a laptop without Wi-Fi it has to be linked to a phone as a hotspot.

Given now for 'the railway' online is the most popular way of purchasing tickets, changing tickets and making / changing reservations (effectively required by e.g. LNER) plus it relies on websites, X etc to give disruption information and passengers may want to follow a connecting service on Realtime Trains and/or other tracking websites it should be responsible for providing free Wi-Fi access both on trains and at stations with enough capacity for this plus email, non-video messaging, Office365 etc. If a passenger wants to stream Youtube, Netflix etc. or have a video conference on Teams, Zoom etc. then reasonable to require them to use their own data.

Regardless of if 4G or 5G the coverage would have be for all three networks - EE, O2 & Vodafone/Three.

 

[Buzby]

Regardless of if 4G or 5G the coverage would have be for all three networks - EE, O2 & Vodafone/Three.

Agreed - ‘network agnostic’ I believe the term is, however as the Govt don’t run a public mobile network, it will remain the responsibility of the networks to address, perhaps using the template of shared access used in the Highlands - but even so, deep cuttings and tunnels remain beyond their reach (and Starlink’s too for that matter).

 

[Nym]

Just to dispel one small myth.

Most on board WiFi of the last few years uses multiple SIM cards from multiple providers to get more diverse coverage.

Also surprises me that they need "Network Rail" to gather this data on the yellow fleet, the VIU fleet uses multiple operators SIM cards and traverses the country, as do a lot of passenger fleets. Oh, and most on board WiFi solutions now also have GPS functioning, so they could just phone up Nomad or Icomera and get (ask for / pay for) the data, no?

 

[Buzby]

Most on board WiFi of the last few years uses multiple SIM cards from multiple providers to get more diverse coverage

No they don’t! They use a single SIM card from a virtual airtime retailer who has connectivity agreements with all the national networks, this allows the equipment to register with the strongest network identified by the kit at that moment. It then scans for any available network before reconnecting.

 

[takno]

Just to dispel one small myth.

Most on board WiFi of the last few years uses multiple SIM cards from multiple providers to get more diverse coverage.

Also surprises me that they need "Network Rail" to gather this data on the yellow fleet, the VIU fleet uses multiple operators SIM cards and traverses the country, as do a lot of passenger fleets. Oh, and most on board WiFi solutions now also have GPS functioning, so they could just phone up Nomad or Icomera and get (ask for / pay for) the data, no?

I suspect that having it on Network Rail trains gives a consistent view of the data which is mapped accurately to the train lines and regularly updated. If you are serious about getting an accurate and continuously-updated view then this is going to be much better than trying to patch together ad-hoc reports from a bunch of different suppliers and trying to map not-100% GPS to railway lines

 

[mavsk]

No they don’t! They use a single SIM card from a virtual airtime retailer who has connectivity agreements with all the national networks, this allows the equipment to register with the strongest network identified by the kit at that moment. It then scans for any available network before reconnecting.

That's not how GTR's kit works - four 4G SIM cards using two different mobile operators (two per network), no virtual airtime retailers used.

 

[Edvid]

Speaking of GTR, I (perhaps selfishly) hope the proposed rollout sorts the Thameslink 700s out first. The previous rollout on that fleet was aborted seemingly halfway through so it's potluck whether my next trip to St Albans / Flitwick etc will have Wi-Fi or not...

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Speaking of GTR, I (perhaps selfishly) hope the proposed rollout sorts the Thameslink 700s out first. The previous rollout on that fleet was aborted seemingly halfway through so it's potluck whether my next trip to St Albans / Flitwick etc will have Wi-Fi or not...

Its not planned as part of the seat upgrade plan though and as it would have to be done through Siemens I seriously doubt it will ever be done. These days i rarely bother to logon to any operators WiFi so I do wonder in this day and age of comprehensive 4G/5G coverage its an necessary overhead for the industry.

 

[Nym]

No they don’t! They use a single SIM card from a virtual airtime retailer who has connectivity agreements with all the national networks, this allows the equipment to register with the strongest network identified by the kit at that moment. It then scans for any available network before reconnecting.

No they don't.

I don't wish to get too deep into a tit for tat on this, but I should know.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Tuesday at 22:52 ==

I suspect that having it on Network Rail trains gives a consistent view of the data which is mapped accurately to the train lines and regularly updated. If you are serious about getting an accurate and continuously-updated view then this is going to be much better than trying to patch together ad-hoc reports from a bunch of different suppliers and trying to map not-100% GPS to railway lines

I suspect it has more to do with cost and consistent antenna gains.

 

[jon0844]

No they don’t! They use a single SIM card from a virtual airtime retailer who has connectivity agreements with all the national networks, this allows the equipment to register with the strongest network identified by the kit at that moment. It then scans for any available network before reconnecting.

One SIM that roams is a terrible solution though. Hardware will seek to stay on the same network for as long as it can, and it will be measuring signal strength or quality - but not the speeds available, which will vary loads bases on the number of bands available and the capacity of each of them.

It also won't switch anywhere near fast enough, with no data flowing when it re-registers. I speak from experience having reviewed SIMs in the UK that roam on all networks, as well as - well - 'properly' roaming when abroad. These companies offering service in the UK can often be quite cheap and enticing, especially if you go to areas with poor coverage, but it's nearly always better to just have two SIMs (and for a phone with dual SIM and eSIM, you could have three). I believe some phones are coming with two physical SIM cards AND two eSIM support. Have your main SIM and then get some PAYG SIMs or add a data boost or whatever when needed (plus, satellite fallback is becoming a thing for those who need total peace of mind - albeit with a very variable service right now).

Three used to charge £2+VAT for a SIM with unlimited data on a business account (requiring one main SIM at a higher price). Given the use of throttling and limiting some services, I don't know what an average train will use in a month, but suspect there are still very competitive rates and if you are going to be limited to, say, 1000GB per SIM as a fair use, more SIMs helps get the data use down per account. Plus I'd expect the carrier to look at the total usage of ALL trains as part of a service, and then work out the average on that.

I am sure at least some TOCs use multiple SIMs (I believe EE and Vodafone) on Icomera kit, and if you have multiple SIM cards then you can even combine the data for faster speeds in areas that have good coverage.

One upgrade might be to bring access points up to at least Wi-Fi 6 (or 6E) which manages multiple devices better. I think 7 might be overkill, and 8 is clearly in the early-adopter not-fully-ratified status right now. I am not sure how modular Icomera kit is, but would hope it's relatively easy to upgrade rather than replace.

 

[Buzby]

That's not how GTR's kit works - four 4G SIM cards using two different mobile operators (two per network), no virtual airtime retailers used.

Those early models were incapable of connecting to 4G/5G networks and weren’t popular (for obvious reasons). The duplication of SIMs is intriguing, (Unless trying to overcome bandwidth restrictions?). Scotrail’s non Starlink kit uses just one, as the original Icomera X6 Routers had 4 modems using 2 SIM slots each, I understand all of these are retired from service.

 

[Vexed]

Those early models were incapable of connecting to 4G/5G networks and weren’t popular (for obvious reasons). The duplication of SIMs is intriguing, (Unless trying to overcome bandwidth restrictions?). Scotrail’s non Starlink kit uses just one, as the original Icomera X6 Routers had 4 modems using 2 SIM slots each, I understand all of these are retired from service.

How many cellular routers are there per train?

If it's only one then a 12 car Class 700 with close to 2000 passengers needs more bandwidth than any ScotRail formation.

 

[Nym]

How many cellular routers are there per train?

If it's only one then a 12 car Class 700 with close to 2000 passengers needs more bandwidth than any ScotRail formation.

When you say router, do you mean router or do you mean modem?

The replacement for the X6i (which replaced the X6) is the X7, with the following;

X7

• CPU: Intel Xeon 2.6/4.2GHz 8-core or Intel Xeon 2.4/4.4GHz 4-core
• Cellular Modems: Up to 5 x 5G modems and 22 SIMs
• Wi-Fi: Up to 2x dual-band Wi-Fi 6 radios
• Storage: 256GB for OS 512GB, 1TB or 2TB for applications 4, 8, or 16 TB SSD behind a cover for storage of video recordings
• Dimensions (W x D x H mm): 359 x 286 x 121
• Weight (kg): 7.5

22 modems with up to 5, 4 element antennas.

But this is a single router.

This single router is also generally responsible for routing any of the satellite internet coming from the applicable "Router" operating as a modem.

Those early models were incapable of connecting to 4G/5G networks and weren’t popular (for obvious reasons). The duplication of SIMs is intriguing, (Unless trying to overcome bandwidth restrictions?). Scotrail’s non Starlink kit uses just one, as the original Icomera X6 Routers had 4 modems using 2 SIM slots each, I understand all of these are retired from service.

22 SIMs, 5 modems, 20 antenna elements.

Or the XS1 has 6 SIMs and 3 Modems with 12 antenna elements.

Source: Icomera Website

 

[Vexed]

When you say router, do you mean router or do you mean modem?

Yes

 

[mavsk]

How many cellular routers are there per train?

If it's only one then a 12 car Class 700 with close to 2000 passengers needs more bandwidth than any ScotRail formation.

One per unit (each with three or four SIMs) apart from the Class 700s which have two.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Wednesday at 17:04 ==

Those early models were incapable of connecting to 4G/5G networks and weren’t popular (for obvious reasons). The duplication of SIMs is intriguing, (Unless trying to overcome bandwidth restrictions?). Scotrail’s non Starlink kit uses just one, as the original Icomera X6 Routers had 4 modems using 2 SIM slots each, I understand all of these are retired from service.

All GTR's SIMs are 4G, they would have also connected to 3G but these networks are generally decommissioned. The multiple SIMs are a combination of getting the bandwidth as well as using more than one operator to help with coverage - operators using the lower 4G frequencies (800MHz from memory, mostly O2 and Vodafone) should help with coverage in the more rural areas, operators with the higher frequencies offer more bandwidth (1800MHz, EE) at the expense of coverage but should therefore help in the more built up areas. At least that's the theory! All the operators also have various infill cells at the higher frequencies, including something like 2300MHz.

 

[Mojo]

WiFi is one of the most infuriating things on the modern railway, it almost never works, loads some annoying splash/login screen that demands loads of details and randomly connects and disconnects to the point where I just turn off the WiFi on my phone to stop it connecting to a network that doesn’t work. I then get home and wonder why nothing works and it’s because I don’t have any signal.

 

[sh24]

Totally agree. Stable, decently fast wifi should be a massive selling point for the railway, Instead it is invariably dire. I have ceased bothering with it and now tether my phone which isn't always stable but generally works much better.

 

[jon0844]

WiFi is one of the most infuriating things on the modern railway, it almost never works, loads some annoying splash/login screen that demands loads of details and randomly connects and disconnects to the point where I just turn off the WiFi on my phone to stop it connecting to a network that doesn’t work. I then get home and wonder why nothing works and it’s because I don’t have any signal.

For some time now the Wi-Fi I've used (when I can't use my own phone) has just asked for an email address. I don't bother with the ones that give free Wi-Fi with me having to log in via a social media service, or even ones that have had the cheek to ask you to rate them or give a review (in the case of some shops or restaurants). Thankfully I think most of that has died off.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Wednesday at 22:16 ==

Totally agree. Stable, decently fast wifi should be a massive selling point for the railway, Instead it is invariably dire. I have ceased bothering with it and now tether my phone which isn't always stable but generally works much better.

I find the Wi-Fi on GTR and LNER to be pretty good - possibly because a lot of the ECML has pretty good coverage. Having an external antenna helps, but is countered by the speed being throttled. Fine for web browsing (or forum usage) but limiting for stuff like downloading, streaming and stuff they don't really want you to do when the connections are shared with potentially many hundreds of people onboard.

I always found Wi-Fi on buses to be more of an issue, perhaps because (even using the same Icomera kit) the operator perhaps only had the one SIM card. But it's no longer a thing because the service has been discontinued and no longer features on the new buses, while you can still connect to the SSID on the old ones - but there's no data at all. The stickers on the side of the bus have been scraped off.

 

[Invincible]

This is something that's been on the agenda for a couple of years now, with the multiple PR announcements along the way. Going back to a parliamentary question posed to the DfT last September,

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-09-11/HL10461/



What's still unclear to me is which LEO satellites they'll latch onto. My immediate assumption would be Starlink but happy to be corrected.

The Government has shares in the Eutelsat OneWeb LEO satellites, and have been testing at the Swanage Railway

We've been busy in the South West of England, where our partners at Excelerate Technology Group have installed a Kymeta Corporation Hawk u8 user terminal onto the Swanage Railway Co. Ltd. - becoming… | Eutelsat OneWeb

We've been busy in the South West of England, where our partners at Excelerate Technology Group have installed a Kymeta Corporation Hawk u8 user terminal onto the Swanage Railway Co. Ltd. - becoming the first heritage steam railway in the UK to offer a fully on-train mobile WiFi connection In...

www.linkedin.com

But US owned Starlink have been testing on some railways like Lumo (with Icomera) and Scotrail

 

[Nym]

But US owned Starlink have been testing on some railways like Lumo (with Icomera) and Scotrail

Also TfWR.

 

[johntea]

Amusingly I was on a caravan stay last week and there was Haven WiFi available in the caravan (it contained a WiFi point so presumably every caravan features one to create a super powerful mesh wireless network) which turned out to be double the speed of my home broadband (around 300mb)...not sure if I somehow managed to connect to their 'premium' network but either way I certainly didn't pay a penny for it!

On trains I do just use my data but yes on CrossCountry you can basically forget it

How does the Eurostar work under the tunnel? I seem to remember that was perfect mobile signal throughout with whatever operator I was with at the time

 

[Adrian1980uk]

I always find I have mixed opinions on this, on one hand there's more important aspects of railway investment needed to help the actual running of trains on time and the right capacity but that's difficult and really expensive. Better WiFi is probably an easier and relatively cheap to improve the passenger experience, we have to remember most lines, most of the day already have a good service and are not crush loaded and offer a comfortable experience.