Satellite WiFi coming to Britain’s busiest train line
Key Points
- Avanti West Coast trains will get low Earth orbit satellite WiFi and better 5G coverage
- The government takes over Avanti West Coast's services on 7 March 2027
- Euston gets a £50 million upgrade over the next three years
- SWR and Lumo already use or trial Starlink WiFi on UK trains
- The DfT aims to bring satellite connectivity to all mainline trains by 2030
Avanti West Coast trains will get low Earth orbit satellite WiFi after the government nationalises the operator on 7 March 2027.
The Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed the plan on Monday (28 September), alongside Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander’s decision to take over the operator’s services when its contract expires.
The DfT said it would deploy low earth orbit satellite technology along the route to deliver faster and more reliable WiFi and 5G coverage onboard.
The West Coast Main Line runs from London Euston to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, and the government describes it as Britain’s busiest train line.
The takeover marks the eighth transfer under the government’s public ownership programme.
The DfT also announced several other upgrades for passengers on the route, including:
- An extra £10 million for power and signalling maintenance by the end of 2027, on top of an existing £840 million infrastructure programme
- Timetable changes focused on routes in and out of Manchester, starting from December 2026
- A £50 million upgrade at Euston over three years, with the first £11 million going to more seating, better waiting areas and refurbished toilets
- A further £10 million for comfort and cleanliness at other stations on the line before the end of 2027
Infrastructure problems cause a third of delays on the West Coast Main Line, according to the DfT.
Avanti will join a growing list of UK operators turning to satellites to fix patchy onboard internet.
South Western Railway (SWR) began trialling SpaceX’s Starlink service on a Class 444 train running between London Waterloo, Portsmouth Harbour and Weymouth on 20 December 2025.
SWR reported that early testing showed 97% coverage across the route, including a 20-minute blackspot in the New Forest, and the trial runs until December 2026.
Open-access operator Lumo also plans to bring Starlink WiFi to its East Coast Main Line fleet this autumn, working with Hitachi, connectivity firm Icomera and leasing company Beacon Rail.
The DfT secured £41 million in 2025 to bring low Earth orbit satellite connectivity to every mainline train by 2030, according to TechRadar.
Separately, the government’s Project Reach partnership aims to eliminate mobile blackspots in rail tunnels, with the first phase of installation starting in 2026 and full rollout planned for 2028.
The government said it would complete all public ownership transfers by the end of 2027, ahead of setting up Great British Railways.
