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 wifi as South Western Railway kickstarts a new trial.
The publicly-owned operator is among the first in England to introduce satellite-powered wifi, 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.
“A good wifi signal can transform a journey and SWR’s wifi trial is a game-changer for passengers,” said Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy.
“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.”
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