“Better WiFi for hundreds of trains under government plans“

takno · 2026-10-15T09:10:58+0100

sh24 said:
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 mostly try to connect to the WiFi now whenever I'm on a train so I can test if Traksy works on it. I'd say it's typically getting better quite quickly. Certainly running at least as well as it was elsewhere in Europe where I've used it this year.

Whether that's because I've been on trains that are testing satellite, because 5g rollout is getting better, or because everybody else has given up trying to use it I couldn't say.

Worth bearing in mind that I sometimes stream audio and view a few text-heavy webpages, which are usually quite light on adverts. It wouldn't surprise me if stuff like Reach media news sites are still essentially unloadable

The sign-up pages are getting lighter as well. Never seems to be more than an email now.

RailUK Forums

pokemonsuper9 · 2026-10-15T09:15:55+0100

takno said:
I mostly try to connect to the WiFi now whenever I'm on a train so I can test if Traksy works on it. I'd say it's typically getting better quite quickly. Certainly running at least as well as it was elsewhere in Europe where I've used it this year.

I think every train WiFi where I've been able to connect to the internet Traksy has worked (although it can be a bit difficult to load in the first place, but once the map is loaded I assume there's very little data that needs to be received).

TUC · 2026-10-15T12:13:05+0100

Nym said:
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.

22 SIMs, 5 modems, 20 antenna elements.

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

Source: Icomera Website

I'd like to say that made things clearer, but...

jon0844 · 2026-10-15T12:14:54+0100

Adrian1980uk said:
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.

It might be relatively cheap, but it is likely very time consuming to upgrade any hardware on a train which then introduces the issue of finding the time to take a train somewhere to have the work done. It can therefore need lots of careful planning and take a long time.

Just look how long it has taken to add the vinyls in the class 700 toilets!

TUC · 2026-10-15T12:16:31+0100

jon0844 said:
It might be relatively cheap, but it is likely very time consuming to upgrade any hardware on a train which then introduces the issue of finding the time to take a train somewhere to have the work done. It can therefore need lots of careful planning and take a long time.

Just look how long it has taken to add the vinyls in the class 700 toilets!

In both cases, the answer will be much longer than the task would take in many other countrie. That's what needs addressing.

jon0844 · 2026-10-15T12:41:35+0100

TUC said:
In both cases, the answer will be much longer than the task would take in many other countrie. That's what needs addressing.

How though? Trains taken out of service for days to have equipment fitted or upgraded means cuts in services.

Some countries have fairly standardised rolling stock, which must make it somewhat easier.

The way to address it might not be very easy, regardless of cost.

Straus · 2026-10-15T12:58:34+0100

It's almost impossible to stay productive (workwise) now without an internet connection, as many systems and even documents are on cloud based storage.

decent, stable wifi would likely increase peak intercity fares

jon0844 · 2026-10-15T15:39:45+0100

Straus said:
It's almost impossible to stay productive (workwise) now without an internet connection, as many systems and even documents are on cloud based storage.

decent, stable wifi would likely increase peak intercity fares

I know that some onboard Wi-Fi restricts some cloud based services, like Google Drive, and also things like video conferencing or screen sharing. For that you'll likely need to use your own data connection and hope the rolling stock doesn't restrict the signal too much.

martin2345uk · 2026-10-15T16:03:37+0100

johntea said:
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

Eurostar's on board wifi is famously awful, but if you're on EE (or a MVNO that uses EE) you should get signal in the tunnel as that is who our work mobiles and tablets are with. If I recall correctly I think the Francebound tunnel is covered by UK network and the UK bound one is covered by French networks but I could be wrong there!

mrmartin · 2026-10-15T16:39:20+0100

Honestly the best thing to have done would be to have NR host commercial mobile phone networks on all their GSM-R masts, changing planning legislation if required.

I believe NR is ripping out GSM-R and replacing it with FRMCS so this would be a perfect opportunity. They could raise significant revenues from the mobile operators as part of this as well, probably enough to cover the replacement of the kit, if not more.

teaspoon · 2026-10-15T16:49:16+0100

Adrian1980uk said:
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.

Having stable wifi on a train makes that time far more productive - especially, as others have said, if you're trying to work with cloud-based services.

I find both Avanti's wifi and 4G/5G to be barely useable north of Preston, so any improvement would be very welcome.

jon0844 said:
It might be relatively cheap, but it is likely very time consuming to upgrade any hardware on a train which then introduces the issue of finding the time to take a train somewhere to have the work done. It can therefore need lots of careful planning and take a long time.

Head for Points occasionally report on airlines rolling out Starlink on their fleet - they say some airlines got the installation time down to 8 hours, and that's presumably alongside other scheduled maintenance checks.
(There's an incentive for airlines too in that the Starlink kit tends to be lighter than the older alternatives, plus has more streamlined antennae, so causes less drag - so a decent fuel saving per flight).

I'm curious to see how the trials go - I assume there's more contention on satellites travelling over built-up areas compared to ones being used by aircraft crossing oceans.

SAPhil · 2026-10-15T18:06:31+0100

Edvid said:
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...

It's not pot luck - it's me! I almost never seem to get on a train with wifi :lol:

.

CaptainHaddock · 2026-10-15T19:01:36+0100

sh24 said:
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 couldn't disagree more!

This feels to me like a very bad move. Better WiFi coverage on trains might sound good in theory but in reality will mean more morons watching brain rot videos, playing their music loud and making irritating unnecessary phone calls, all to the annoyance of other passengers.

Here's a radical idea; I'd much prefer it if the railway not just stopped offering free WiFi altogether but actively blocked mobile phone signals. Instead train travel could be promoted as a way of chilling out, relaxing and taking a break from the stresses of the modern world.

If you can't manage an hour's commute without the internet then you've probably got addiction issues!

Alpine Rider · 2026-10-15T19:14:14+0100

Personally I would prefer any of the money currently being spent on offering wifi on trains to actually be spent on improving the railways - so more electrification, more trains and providing more coaches on services too often operated with 2 cars rather than the 4 or more carriages actually needed.

WIFI is a "would be nice" and most modern phones already have 4g or 5g connectivity so if people are really so desperate to use the internet on the train then it is easy - use your own data.

“Better WiFi for hundreds of trains under government plans“

takno

Verified Rep - Traksy

RailUK Forums

pokemonsuper9

Established Member

TUC

Established Member

jon0844

Veteran Member

TUC

Established Member

jon0844

Veteran Member

Straus

Member

jon0844

Veteran Member

martin2345uk

Established Member

mrmartin

Established Member

teaspoon

Member

SAPhil

Member

CaptainHaddock

Established Member

Alpine Rider

Member