‘Project Reach’ to eliminate mobile blackspots on trains by 2028
Passengers travelling on some of Britain’s busiest rail routes are set to enjoy seamless mobile coverage by 2028, as part of Network Rail’s plans to eliminate mobile signal “not-spots”.
In a deal hailed as a “game changer” by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, Network Rail has partnered with telecoms firms Neos Networks and Freshwave to bring 4G and 5G to several key rail lines and stations.
Work on ‘Project Reach’ is planned to get underway next year.
Around 1,000km of ultra-fast fibre optic cable will be installed along routes including the East Coast Main Line from London to Newcastle and The Great Western line to Cardiff.
Four corridors were chosen in total based on high passenger volumes.
Meanwhile, Freshwave will tackle blackspots in 57 tunnels, spanning nearly 50km, and help deliver better mobile coverage at 12 major stations including Birmingham New Street and Edinburgh Waverley.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said passengers could start seeing improvements next year, though the full project is expected to take three years to complete due to track access constraints.
Business leaders believe the upgrade could boost productivity.
“Time is literally money,” said Alan Thomas the CEO of Manchester-based insurer Ripe. “Turning dead time on trains into productive time is fabulous.”
Network Rail estimates the public-private partnership could save taxpayers £300m.
Officials hope to expand the fibre network again, to over 5,000km in the future, though a timeline has yet to be confirmed.
Bruce Williamson of Rail Future welcomed the news, saying: “People live on their smartphones and work on trains. Better connectivity is undoubtedly a good thing.”