LU/Elizabeth Line 4G update

[Dave W]

Past few weeks I've noticed my phone (EE) isn't connecting to the WiFi network (EE Wifi-Auto) any more. Network still shows but fails when I try to connect..
Anyone else experiencing this?

Strangely I've had the opposite experience - Wifi-auto has always been a bit funny for me, and I've often had to force my phone to connect by turning wifi off and on as I've arrived at a station - sometimes ending in the same behaviour you describe, but of late it's been a lot more reliable. I've never found it to be consistent enough to rely on, still. The 4G is better but I don't really travel in the peaks anymore so can't speak for capacity.

 

[jon0844]

Past few weeks I've noticed my phone (EE) isn't connecting to the WiFi network (EE Wifi-Auto) any more. Network still shows but fails when I try to connect..
Anyone else experiencing this?

Working fine for me. I recently changed phone so had to set it up again, so made sure it authenticated via SIM and it connected straight away.

Thing is, I am not sure I want it always connecting to it (it will connect to other EE routers all over the place, even if 4G/5G is better and daster) so I might just tell the phone to forget the settings anyway.

I had the same issue with O2 Wi-Fi. Sometimes you are indoors and connect to something but then it connects to other sites all the time when there's no need (often the WiFi is terribly slow so only wanted as a last resort).

 

[MaidaVale]

Strangely I've had the opposite experience - Wifi-auto has always been a bit funny for me, and I've often had to force my phone to connect by turning wifi off and on as I've arrived at a station - sometimes ending in the same behaviour you describe, but of late it's been a lot more reliable. I've never found it to be consistent enough to rely on, still. The 4G is better but I don't really travel in the peaks anymore so can't speak for capacity.

I've had a similar experience with Three's Wifi on tube stations. Quite often it wouldn't connect whilst stopping at a station (even if forced) until the train had already closed it's doors and was beginning to accelerate away, although recently it's been far more reliable and connected almost instantly in some cases. Obviously depends on the station.

I have recently got a new phone which is what I initially chalked the change up to, although it's only one model up from my previous phone (which was a 2024 model anyway) and I also experienced the same issues with every other phone I've had in the past, so maybe it is an increase in Wifi reliability that just happened to co-incide.

 

[James H]

Another FOI with some timeline updates

The Telecoms Commercialisation Projects milestone is to complete the rollout of 5G by December 2026. Previously, the project milestone was to complete the rollout of 4G by end of 2025 which changed to 5G with an extended delivery date.


In terms of progress, all London Underground lines have been tested. The next phase of testing will focus on the DLR and along the Windrush line between Highbury & Islington and New Cross.

We continue to increase the number of designs completed to enable the launch of more stations and tunnelled sections across the TfL network. In addition to what is currently live (available on our website here: https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-informati...improving-digital-connectivity-on-our-network ), we expect to have launched 159 venues (made up of both stations and tunnel locations) by December 2025 and 213 venues by June 2026, completing the project by the end of 2026.

FOI request detail

FOI request detail

tfl.gov.uk

 

[zwk500]

Oddly the page that FOI links to about the programme doesn't have the map of latest progress, but this page does: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/tube/station-wifi?intcmp=1951

 

[announcements]

It's not fully up to date as implies there is a signal break between Oval and Stockwell, which is no longer the case.

Also, I received signal at Pimlico station but not between Pimlico and Vauxhall.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Does this mean there's coverage starting to creep past Victoria in the southbound direction now?

 

[announcements]

Correct. I can confirm Oxford Circus and Stockwell platforms now work also; previously you had to go towards the Central and Northern line platforms, respectively, to pick up signal, but now it's coming through to Victoria line platforms/trains.

(This is from Vodafone perspective)

 

[zwk500]

It's not fully up to date as implies there is a signal break between Oval and Stockwell, which is no longer the case.

Also, I received signal at Pimlico station but not between Pimlico and Vauxhall.

The map currently linked to on the page has a date of July 2025, so yes it's not the very latest.

 

[gfa]

Not been anything about this for a while, nor any new sections coming on line but just spotted this article.

How London finally cracked mobile phone coverage on the Underground

Dotted around London, there are a number of private hotels that aren’t the sort of hotel you might expect – they’re needed to make mobile phones work on the London Underground.

www.ianvisits.co.uk

States about halfway down the following:

"Although it’s taken four years to get about half of the London Underground covered with a phone signal, they now expect the rest to take just a year to complete. That’s in part thanks to experience speeding things up, and also because a lot of the equipment has already gone in over the past four years. All they need are the final bits to complete the job and switch it on."

I'll believe it when I see it personally!

Edit:
Article also says these are recent switch ons -
"Some recent switch-ons include the sub-surface lines between Blackfriars and Canon Street, and between Notting Hill to Bayswater. But as many of the stations are nearly completed, you can expect a cascade of tunnels and stations switching on this year."

 

[Watershed]

Yep, still nothing more on the Northern or Victoria lines as far as I can tell. Rather frustrating that it's so patchy.

 

[announcements]

Yes, it feels in the last year there's been very little change. I know there has been a bit here and there, but not really enough to feel significant.

 

[Mojo]

Yep, still nothing more on the Northern or Victoria lines as far as I can tell. Rather frustrating that it's so patchy.

l haven’t been on the Victoria line in ages, but is the coverage through the central area available on Vodafone yet? Despite the TfL website saying it’s been live for a couple of years, it was only ever available on o2 (and l think someone in this thread said was also available on Three Mobile).

 

[Watershed]

l haven’t been on the Victoria line in ages, but is the coverage through the central area available on Vodafone yet? Despite the TfL website saying it’s been live for a couple of years, it was only ever available on o2 (and l think someone in this thread said was also available on Three Mobile).

I wouldn't know, I use an EE based MVNO

 

[gfa]

l haven’t been on the Victoria line in ages, but is the coverage through the central area available on Vodafone yet? Despite the TfL website saying it’s been live for a couple of years, it was only ever available on o2 (and l think someone in this thread said was also available on Three Mobile).

I use lebara which piggybacks vodafone and it works around Oxford Circus / Warren Street (I don't go further south regularly).

BBC have just picked up on this and are saying Kings Cross, Vauxhall, Gloucester Road and Warwick Avenue (no idea for stations inbetween - that is a massive jump for the Bakerloo)

Majority of Northern and Met by the end of summer this year.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgj83kl1p5o


I had signal on the Piccadilly at Holloway Road this weekend gone as well now I think about it.

 

[bluegoblin7]

I was pleasantly surprised to have full data at Euston Square yesterday.

 

[zwk500]

I was pleasantly surprised to have full data at Euston Square yesterday.

https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tube-map-below-ground-4g-and-5g-coverage.pdf

The TfL Map has been updated to January 2026. Interestingly Euston Square is not indicated as being live yet! If anybody knows how to get/took copies of the back dated issues of this map it'd be interesting to see the rate of progress. Although I do wish the map included where the limits of the tunnel sections were.

 

[announcements]

I use lebara which piggybacks vodafone and it works around Oxford Circus / Warren Street (I don't go further south regularly).

BBC have just picked up on this and are saying Kings Cross, Vauxhall, Gloucester Road and Warwick Avenue (no idea for stations inbetween - that is a massive jump for the Bakerloo)

For Vodafone/Lebara, I've only managed to get signal at Oxford Circus, Green Park, Pimlico and Stockwell. Better than nothing I suppose, but surprising why they can't just switch on the rest!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Jan 2026 ==

https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tube-map-below-ground-4g-and-5g-coverage.pdf

The TfL Map has been updated to January 2026.

Not sure why it's not showing Stockwell to Oval as complete, when it is.

 

[MrJeeves]

Not sure why it's not showing Stockwell to Oval as complete, when it is.

It might not be on all 4 networks.

 

[announcements]

But it's showing other sections as complete, which aren't yet available on Vodafone/Lebara...

 

[CC100]

Has anyone managed to get Vodafone on the Northern Line Bank branch other than at Angel? It has been shown as complete from Euston to Bank for a long time, yet I haven't had any luck with Vodafone there.

 

[announcements]

Likewise, only Angel for me.

 

[MaidaVale]

Edgware Road Northbound Bakerloo and Paddington to Marylebone Southbound Bakerloo seems to be working for me on Three over the past few days.

 

[jon81uk]

https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tube-map-below-ground-4g-and-5g-coverage.pdf

The TfL Map has been updated to January 2026. Interestingly Euston Square is not indicated as being live yet! If anybody knows how to get/took copies of the back dated issues of this map it'd be interesting to see the rate of progress. Although I do wish the map included where the limits of the tunnel sections were.

The map doesn't show coverage on the Victoria line north of King's Cross but it is working on Three to around Finsbury Park now.

 

[zwk500]

The map doesn't show coverage on the Victoria line north of King's Cross but it is working on Three to around Finsbury Park now.

I just linked what TfL have put up...

 

[jon81uk]

I just linked what TfL have put up...

Sorry should have been clearer, I wasn't commenting about what you'd said; just that TfL are progressing beyond what the map shows already. The quote is to link to the map for context rather than any comment on what you wrote.

 

[JonnyM]

https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tube-map-below-ground-4g-and-5g-coverage.pdf

The TfL Map has been updated to January 2026. Interestingly Euston Square is not indicated as being live yet! If anybody knows how to get/took copies of the back dated issues of this map it'd be interesting to see the rate of progress. Although I do wish the map included where the limits of the tunnel sections were.

Attached are two, one dated July 2025 and the other December 2024.

 

[Roy Badami]

l haven’t been on the Victoria line in ages, but is the coverage through the central area available on Vodafone yet? Despite the TfL website saying it’s been live for a couple of years, it was only ever available on o2 (and l think someone in this thread said was also available on Three Mobile).

I used the Victoria line between Kings Cross and Euston this afternoon. Still no Vodafone coverage, despite the fact that this stretch has been shown on the TfL maps - and served by the other three operators - for the best part of a year.

EDIT TO ADD: On the other hand, the new Piccadilly line coverage between Caledonian Road and Holloway Road is working fine on Vodafone, so Vodafone clearly are still rolling out new coverage. They just seem to have skipped a big chunk of the Victoria line for some reason.

 

[bnc2018]

I got 5G on the subsurface platforms at Moorgate today. You usually used to get some very spotty signal (presumably from above ground) but this was very strong

 

[JonnyM]

I got 5G on the subsurface platforms at Moorgate today. You usually used to get some very spotty signal (presumably from above ground) but this was very strong

The TfL web page has been updated, it now states that all District and Circle line platforms are live, plus Edgware Road on the Bakerloo line.

Mobile phones and Wi-Fi underground

See where you can access Wi-Fi on the Tube and London Overground networks

tfl.gov.uk