Hundreds of passengers streaming festive movies, buying last-minute gifts or catching up with loved ones between London and the south of England this Christmas can now benefit from cutting-edge Wi-Fi as South Western Railway (SWR) kickstarts a new trial [20 December].
The publicly-owned operator is among the first in England to introduce satellite-powered Wi-Fi, showcasing the smart investments that nationalised rail companies can deliver to enhance passenger experience under Great British Railways.
It follows the recent creation of Project Reach – a national commercial partnership bringing together public and private sector investment and infrastructure to eliminate mobile signal blackspots in tunnels on key rail routes up and down the country.
Set to save taxpayers around £300 million, the multi-year project’s first installation of mobile infrastructure is expected to begin in 2026 and be fully rolled out by 2028 – revolutionising rail passenger experience.
Powered by Starlink technology from SpaceX, the SWR trial is taking place on a Class 444 train operating between London Waterloo, Portsmouth Harbour and Weymouth. This upgrade will significantly improve coverage throughout the New Forest – historically a major signal blackspot leaving passengers without internet for over 20 minutes.
With early testing showing a 97% coverage rate across the route so far, passengers travelling within the area can browse, stream and stay connected at stronger speeds. If successful, the technology could be rolled out across other trains in the SWR fleet and encourage other publicly-owned operators to do the same.
With publicly owned operators responsible for 33% of all passenger rail journeys in Great Britain, boosting connectivity is crucial for running a reliable and efficient service and with the creation of Great British Railways, this is the kind of investment nationalised rail companies can deliver – improving journeys and strengthening the network across the country.
Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said:
“A good Wi-Fi signal can transform a journey and SWR’s Wi-Fi trial is a game changer for passengers.
“With Christmas and new year celebrations just around the corner, passengers travelling for the holidays can enjoy their journeys knowing they’ll stay connected – whether that’s to watch their favourite festive films, do last-minute shopping or catch up with loved ones at this special time of year. This is exactly the kind of improvement rail operators under public ownership can deliver to put passengers first and make rail travel enjoyable for all.”
Peter Williams, South Western Railway’s Customer and Commercial Director said:
“We know how important reliable Wi-Fi is to our customers – it supports productivity, keeps people connected and entertained and makes rail an even more attractive and sustainable way to travel.
“By bringing satellite technology to our trains, we’re covering some of the hardest-to-reach parts of the network and showing that seamless connectivity is possible wherever you travel. This is another big step towards improving the onboard experience for our customers and we are excited to see how it can benefit more routes across our network in future.”
Unlike traditional onboard Wi-Fi, which depends on mobile networks and often struggles with bandwidth in busy or remote areas, Starlink uses a constellation of thousands of low-Earth orbit satellites. This technology delivers a stronger, more resilient and reliable connection almost anywhere in the world.
Wi-Fi is not the only area where SWR is making good progress under public ownership. The operator has quadrupled the number of new Arterio trains in service, boosting morning peak capacity into London Waterloo by nearly 12% since May. These trains are set to improve performance and reliability significantly, with features including air conditioning, accessible toilets and charging points at every seat.
Today’s announcement follows last week’s second debate on the landmark Railways Bill and comes after the government’s decision to freeze rail fares for the first time in 30 years – a move aimed at putting money back in passengers’ pockets and easing the cost of living for hard-working people.
Image credit: DfT
