Investment brings improved Wi-Fi onboard
 
 

Avanti West Coast is investing in a project to improve Wi-Fi connectivity along the West Coast Main Line.

 

The company is investing £45 million in a deal with BT, and their mobile arm EE, to add network capacity to nearly 200 masts along the West Coast Main Line (WCML) route, providing 4G coverage across 98% of the WCML by June 2023.

 

Work is already underway and will enable faster, more reliable onboard Wi-Fi on Avanti services.

 

Phil Whittingham, Avanti West Coast’s Managing Director, said: “This is a really exciting partnership with BT. The benefits of working with the UK’s leading telecommunications and network provider on this project will enhance reliability of our Wi-Fi and give faster speeds on our route.

 

“These improvements will enable our customers to stay connected during their journey and be more productive onboard our trains.”

 

The new masts will also provide better connectivity for EE customers who are local to the West Coast Main Line, as well as emergency service respondents in the area - with faster data transfer speeds available and more mobile devices able to use the network simultaneously.

 

The news has attracted praise from Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris, who said: “Avanti West Coast’s upgrade work, supported by the Department for Transport, is a win for everyone who uses, or lives close to the West Coast Main Line.

 

“Investing in better connectivity helps transform rail travel, improving journeys for passengers by building a black-spot free network, with the added benefit of supporting local communities.”

 

You can find the full press release here.