Opinion: Better WiFi would send out the right signals to passengers

One of the worst ideas of the previous Transport Secretary Mark Harper was to scrap WiFi provision for rail passengers.

They don’t need it, was the argument. People could always get connected through the mobile signal - and cutting it would save money. Had the man ever tried to use his phone on a train?

Harper and his Rail Minister Huw Merriman tried to argue that it would save a lot of money and that passengers did not use the service.

However, it soon emerged that the equipment would still be needed to ensure connections for the staff and to enable card payments in buffets, which meant savings would be minimal. Not surprisingly, the plan was quietly dropped.

That, of course, did not solve the problem with which all of us rail travellers are familiar.

Not to put too fine a point on it, internet connection and mobile reception on trains is rubbish. It is patchy, inconsistent, and at best good for email and the occasional Google search, with at best a speed of one MBps (megabyte per second).

There is no possibility of having an uninterrupted Teams or Zoom conversation. And forget about downloading a video or film. Even looking at a video clip on Twitter (sorry Elon) or TikTok is difficult.

Part of the reason for the slow internet speeds on trains is that the train companies have to pay for the amount of data.

The connection is through a series of SIM cards carried in the equipment in the roof of the train, and even if there is sufficient bandwidth, the train companies do not want to incur the cost of excessive amounts of data. Therefore, they deliberately prevent high levels of downloads.

The fact that we have at least this amount of capacity is (oddly) down to David Cameron. As Prime Minister, he was keen to ensure that there was connectivity on all trains, and facilitated this by allowing Network Rail to use the money it should have paid in fines for poor performance to instead introduce a special fund for installing WiFi technology on trains and externally.

However, since this is 2G technology and we are now on 5G, the system is urgently in need of upgrading - especially as demand by travellers, and indeed, by rail companies for their own purposes, is rising exponentially. Trains have already become computers on wheels, and there is no stopping that process.

The creation of Great British Railways and the integration of infrastructure provide the ideal opportunity to improve the provision of on-board WiFi.

Guaranteeing a high standard of connection on trains would undoubtedly attract passengers onto the railways. Indeed, the provision of high connectivity should be viewed as a basic part of service provision, as much as toilets and buffets on longer journeys.

This requires considerable co-ordination between several government departments and other organisations, and ministers should immediately start working with GBR to ensure this improvement comes about.

However, it is an immensely complicated issue with very little clarity about how to achieve the aim, at a reasonable cost, of ensuring that every rail passenger has good internet access.

First, there is choosing the technology, which is more complicated than simply upgrading existing technology.

According to Peter Kingsland, the senior vice-president of Icomera, a major supplier of WiFi equipment on trains: “A combination of both on-train WiFi and signals ‘through the window’ will always be required to ensure continuous availability.

“It’s never going to be the case of opting for a single technology solution, but rather about leveraging the benefits of different solutions in different geographical environments and combining all available networks to deliver optimum connectivity.”

That requires co-ordination of all the stakeholders across both the rail and communication industries, as well as government agencies.

Co-operation is essential so that the different networks all supply connectivity together, rather than in competition.

In addition to improving the masts using the existing technology (although who pays is another thorny question), there is the growing potential of a new technology, whereby signals transmitted from a network of satellites could be a game-changer.

But even this is not a complete solution, as it does not work particularly well in busy urban areas that have high buildings, which block off the direct link with satellites.

Moreover, the biggest player in the provision of the satellite technology is Elon Musk, who is quickly becoming a pariah on whom few other players would want to rely.

Then there is the issue of who pays for the investment - reckoned to be at least £200 million to provide a universal good signal.

The best solution would be if better connectivity were an add-on to other technological developments, such as the replacement of the GSM-R system of cab to shore communication, or the upgrading of the cables feeding the signalling system across the network.

Improved WiFi could then just be part of a much larger investment scheme, although this perfect solution will be hard to bring about given the number of players involved.

However, doing nothing is not an option. Kingsland points out that WiFi usage by passengers in European trains is higher than in the UK: “In the UK, 20%-30% of passengers currently use the onboard WiFi service, compared with 40%-50% in other European countries.”

One reason is that the Cameron-era technology has not been updated. But it is also because those other railways have ensured that there is a good signal in rural areas, meaning there are no black spots.

This needs a government-led solution, but hopefully with a contribution from private capital.

Improving internet access will not only bring more people onto trains, it will also make those trains more accessible - for example, by enabling the use of apps that help disabled passengers.

Therefore, it could be seen as helping to fulfil one of the Labour government’s much touted key missions about improving accessibility for all. It is a no-brainer, given that good WiFi has become as important to rail travellers as having well-functioning toilets.

In early 2023, Network Rail issued a press release on Project Reach, which was a scheme to improve WiFi on trains. It promised a contract would be signed later in the year.

However, little (if any) progress has been made, although NR says a full business case will be presented to the Department for Transport and HM Treasury later this year.

Yet the need is urgent, as undoubtedly demand for WiFi on trains is increasing rapidly, and it forms part of rail’s offer to boost passenger numbers.

Heads need to be banged together - and quickly. One for the growing agenda of the new Labour ministerial team.

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