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 diffi...

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 i Type: conclusion | Number: 27 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: 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