Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 27
27
Acknowledged
Poor mobile connectivity on railways is due to high costs and weak commercial case.
Conclusion
Connectivity along major rail routes remains poor. Passengers can struggle to make calls, stream videos or work online. The Department told us that improving connectivity on railways is challenging. It explained that it is hard for the signal to penetrate through tunnels, deep cuttings and safety glass on modern trains. According to the Department, improving coverage on trains would be expensive and require complex infrastructure along the side of the track, which, it described, as more difficult than improving coverage on roads. The Department further explained that there is a weak commercial case for individual mobile network operators to invest in railway coverage, due to the high costs for infrastructure and marginal commercial benefits.53
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the conclusion about poor rail connectivity and associated challenges, outlining plans with Ofcom to report on rail coverage and a DfT study to establish baseline data by early 2025.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Spring 2025 6.2 The department has asked Ofcom to report on the availability of mobile coverage on the rail network in its annual Connected Nations report. To this end, the department asked Ofcom to investigate the feasibility of using in-carriage scanners and crowdsourced data to provide an overview of connectivity on the mainline routes. Ofcom are considering possible approaches to measuring mobile coverage and performance on trains. 6.3 At the same time, the Department for Transport (DfT) has commissioned a study using scanners fitted to the outside of Network Rail’s engineering trains to measure mobile signal strength on train routes. This exercise will finish in early 2025 and will help to establish baseline data for mobile coverage across the UK rail network. 6.4 The department will outline progress on this matter in future Treasury Minute updates once the government’s work with Ofcom on reporting on rail connectivity, and the DfT’s initiative, have concluded.