Mobile reception on trains - worst & best lines?

[infobleep]

What lines do you find have the best and worst mobile phone voice and/or data reception? It will also depend on your network provider.

For myself on O2 I find the Portsmouth direct line and Guildford new lines between Guildford and London Waterloo to be very patchy on. Incidentally the same goes for DAB reception expect when you get closer to London.

It's less of an issue on the Brighton main line between London Victoria and Haywards Heath. Guildford to Gatwick fairs as good as the Brighton line if not better, although their are some patches where it drops out.

I seem to remember the reception being very good between Bletchley and Bedford on that more rural branch line but I may be miss remembering. It certainly was excellent for DAB, which surprised me but I guess it shouldn't as it's very flat there.

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[bolli]

I'd be very surprised to get mobile signal on lines such as the West Highland and Heart of wales....

 

[Cherry_Picker]

It's not just the lines, it's the stock. The Chiltern mainline is excellent for mobile reception, but between Birmingham & Banbury on a Voyager it is significantly worse. On the West Coast I find I get worse coverage on the Pendolinos than on LM 350s. Maybe it is related to the size of the windows?

 

[Deerfold]

I'm on 3.

I get very poor reception on Virgin between London and Manchester or Wales.

However on EC up to Leeds I can happily use my phone as a hotspot for 95% of the journey.

 

[tsr]

Most of the Tube lines in Zone 1 are pretty rubbish for O2 signal

Seriously, though, for London... the vast majority of the Overground seems OK, and indeed the GOBLIN line is very good, in my experience. The worst signal, other than tunnels, seems to be in Zones 8 & 9 of the Metropolitan Line (which, given it passes through rural parts of the Chilterns, is hardly surprising!) and also around Lewisham & Catford, for some reason.

 

[starrymarkb]

Voyagers have bad mobile signal because of the heat reflecting treatment applied to the windows also blocks mobile signal.

Reading to Taunton is pretty bad for signal IME, with weak GPRS at best most of the way (3G only seemed to appear around stations) - has been a year or two since I've been that way so things may have improved

 

[GodAtum]

Funniliy enough i can never get reception at Clapham junction :roll:

 

[tom1649]

Any line without reception is a bonus for me. I hate having to listen to other people's inane chatter. Some people seem to spend so long on their mobiles I'm surprised their brains haven't been cooked by the radiation. Although listening to some of their conversations that may be happening already.

Fortunately my local line has plenty of tunnels to cut people off regularly.

 

[anme]

3G reception deteriorates with speed. This shouldn't be a significant issue on most services, but you will find that 3G works very poorly on HS1 on a Eurostar going at full pelt.

 

[sbt]

Portsmouth Direct is dire. As I have said recently, there is often no effective reception even in Haselmere station.

Some areas would be difficult to provide a service to, as they are in steep sided and reverse curved valleys (GSM-R is going to be 'fun' there), but other areas are much more open.

I take the point about 3G and (train) speed. However as I am using the signal for data using 2G means that the data flows so slow that it never arrives complete before a break in signal long enough for it to time out, so 3G, getting data at a high rate when there is signal, is more practical.

Its a problem for the Guards and RPIs with their ticket machines as well.

As I have pointed out elsewhere this is an operational issue for the railway. Companies appear to be relying on Mobiles to sort out the management of the non-immediate-emergency and Safety of the Line aspects of the aftermath of incidents. Plans regarding decisions on the need to evacuate pax, ensure provision of sufficient supplies, update staff so they can keep pax informed, coordinate between train staff etc. seem now to assume the availability of Mobiles. Reading a recent RAIB report Mobiles are even being used to cordinate On Track Plant movements within Engineering Possessions.

 

[bicbasher]

Patchy reception on EE between New Cross Gate and Honor Oak Park. Otherwise excellent between London Bridge/Surrey Quays and NXG and from HOP onwards.

 

[swt_passenger]

Its a problem for the Guards and RPIs with their ticket machines as well.

I don't think mobile ticket machines ever go online. There have been many threads about the inability to deal with certain card types that always need online verification.

 

[trentside]

Got to agree about mobile signal on the Portsmouth Direct line. Usually try to restrict my conversations to off-train, but had made a mistake accepting some overtime at work that I then needed to get rid of, and had something of a nightmare trying to text and call various people in an attempt to get it sorted. Ended up sorting it between Guildford and Ascot later in the day, so that line was ok

More local to me, I find the signal to be poor between Gainsborough and Stow Park (largely non-existant both on EE and O2) and on the MML between Leicester and Kettering, though I can't pinpoint the exact locations. On the whole I don't seem to have any real issues on the ECML - even going through some of the tunnels at the London end of the line, my phone seems happy to send and receive texts.

I don't think mobile ticket machines ever go online. There have been many threads about the inability to deal with certain card types that always need online verification.

Avantix machines are off-line, completely. They use a bluetooth connection to communicate with the card-reader, and I believe an infrared connection to the printer.

 

[sarahj]

As a guard with a EE/Orange issued blackberry, the reception on Southern is:

BML. Ok. except tunnels to three bridges. Balcombe to Hassocks. Goes from 5 bars to zero bars, conversations drop out all the time. Very very poor from ouse viaduct to haywards heath, even at a stand with phone out the window. Clayton tunnel, no reception. Clayton to Brighton, drops in and out until preston park.

Arun Valley line, south of Horsham, massive gaps in reception.

West Coast. Decent recpetion all the way to portsmouth

East Coast. massive dropouts from lewes to polegate
Very poor between Pevensey and Bo peep.

These are all on the move signals except around haywards heath where even at a stand reception is very poor. however, as a note, there must be a signal as you get emergency use coverage. TBH outside major cites, etc Orange is just rubbish.

 

[Comstock]

For good reasons, the reception between Sheffield and Manchester is terrible, at least on O2.

Obviously there is the tunnel sections, but also a large area around Edale with no reception at all.

 

[HSTfan!!!]

Avantix machines are off-line, completely. They use a bluetooth connection to communicate with the card-reader, and I believe an infrared connection to the printer.

Whilst the Avantix machines are off-line, the thyron card readers do have a sim card slot so I believe these could go online to provide card authorisation?

 

[ValleyLines142]

Newport to Patchway is absolutely dire for signal. I tried to send an email last week and it took me nearly half an hour to send it. Yes, it passes through the Severn Tunnel, obviously there will be a loss of signal, but the journey through the tunnel is only four minutes.

I really am absolutely baffled as to why First Great Western have not put Wifi on the Cardiff to London route, but that is for a different thread.

 

[trickyvegas]

Interestingly, on the Stalybridge - Huddersfield line, on Orange I can now hold a 3G connection throughout the Stanedge Tunnel, but as soon as the train emerges at Marsden there is no signal until the other side of Slaithwaite.

 

[jon0844]

Most of the Tube lines in Zone 1 are pretty rubbish for O2 signal

But the Wi-Fi is bloody amazing on the platform and around the stations. If you're primarily after data, which I certainly am these days, the speeds offered by Virgin are VERY impressive.

Not just the download speeds, but upload too. I've uploaded HD videos to YouTube on the platform in the time taken for the next train to arrive!

 

[sbt]

Whilst the Avantix machines are off-line, the thyron card readers do have a sim card slot so I believe these could go online to provide card authorisation?

It is this I believe I was mis-remembering.

 

[RM-Taylor]

Having previously been on o2 and now currently with EE, there is no signal for 90% of the journey between Scunthorpe and Doncaster. Also there is never any signal between Chesterfield and Derby, quite often hear conversations on board of people moaning about no signal.

 

[crispy1978]

Cambrian Coast Line and Far North Line aren't great.

York to Malton is pretty shabby too.

 

[embers25]

Portsmouth Direct is dire. As I have said recently, there is often no effective reception even in Haselmere station.

Portsmouth Direct is dire with Vodaphone from Woking to Havant with only small bits of coverage near some stations. With Virgin (mobile not trains!) however coverage is almost usable except for a couple of spots. Same goes for Virgin West Coast where I could hardly ever get Vodaphone to work but Virgin Mobile works most of the way from London to Manc.

 

[Harbon 1]

Funniliy enough i can never get reception at Clapham junction :roll:

I've always found that. Could it be something to do with the amount of 3rd rails around disrupting the signal?

 

[nathanclass323]

I find Virgin Voyagers to be better than CrossCountry ones where the two services clash. The Crewe <> Derby line is awful but the Midland Mainline is pretty good and I'm able to use the Mobile AP when on a Meridian as I would never not have my phone plugged in when using it.

I'm on EE/T-Mobile.

 

[JGR]

Most of the way between Shenfield and Ipswich on the GEML, Vodafone is very spotty, and trying to get a usable data connection is all but futile.
I don't travel very often to Cambridge and Norwich from Ipswich, but I seem to recall that the signal wasn't brilliant on those either (unsurprisingly).

 

[Chrisgr31]

I have a Vodafone phone and the Uckfield Line is awful for reception, and its surprisingly bad between East Croydon and London Bridge. I have given up using a 3G connection for my laptop as that never seems to work so I just read my Kindle.

 

[Conn]

I'm with O2. Not all that surprisingly, whenever I travel on the Settle & Carlisle, I get absolutely no service until about 10 mins out of Carlisle.

 

[infobleep]

This is really interesting. Does anyone think it would be economical for mobile phone providers to improve their signal in places like Clapham Junction and along railway lines?

I know ow some people prefer less calls but I was think more along the lines of data usage.

They talk about businessman and womab working on the move but picking up e-mails wouldn't be a doddle. Let alone sending replies or doing anything else requiring Internet access.

The impression I get is that your more likely not to be able to use a mobile whilst travelling than you are.

For a time I was finding good reception when stopped outside Clapham Junction in a cutting than when at capacity Junction itself. Sometimes at Clapham I get a good signal but lately nothing for data. Voice is ok though.

Here's a couple of strap lines you won't see in mobile advertisements.
Just one black spot is all it takes for you to lose your call.

Sending an e-mail via your mobile? With all the black spots around you'll soon notice how long it takes to send, assuming it sends of course!

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[Carlisle]

I find Virgin Voyagers to be better than CrossCountry ones where the two services clash. The Crewe <> Derby line is awful but the Midland Mainline is pretty good and I'm able to use the Mobile AP when on a Meridian as I would never not have my phone plugged in when using it.

I'm on EE/T-Mobile.

I always thought pendilinos had boosters on for Vodafone ,EE and O2 not sure about virgin voyagers now ,i know all voyagers used to have orange boosters fitted