Project Reach deal signed to boost connectivity and remove mobile signal blackspots on the rail network

[styles]

On track and online: landmark deal to end mobile dead zones

Project Reach deal signed to boost connectivity and remove mobile signal blackspots on the rail network.

www.gov.uk

Commuters will soon be able to work seamlessly and stay connected with loved ones as the Transport Secretary lands a landmark deal to eliminate mobile blackspots on Britain’s busiest rail routes.

The breakthrough agreement will transform daily journeys for millions of passengers who currently face the frustration of dropped calls and interrupted streaming on key routes between London, Manchester, Newcastle and Cardiff.

The deal, named Project Reach and signed today (26 June 2025) between Network Rail, and telecoms companies, Neos Networks and Freshwave marks the end of passengers having to pause important work calls or cut short conversations with family members when trains enter notorious signal blackspots.

The project’s innovative commercial model brings together public and private sector investment and infrastructure and is expected to save taxpayers around £300 million while creating a high-performing digital connectivity backbone for businesses, supporting the UK’s digital ambitions.

Project Reach will initially see Neos Networks deploy 1,000 kilometres of ultra-fast fibre optic cable along the East Coast Main Line, parts of the West Coast Main Line and the Great Western Main Line, with ambition to expand beyond 5,000 kilometres in the near future.

In addition to this, Freshwave will tackle signal blackspots in 57 tunnels, covering almost 50 kilometres, including the 4-kilometre-long Chipping Sodbury tunnel near Bristol.

As part of the deal, mobile network operators will also invest in new 4G/5G infrastructure at 12 of the biggest Network Rail stations across the country including Birmingham New St, Bristol Temple Meads, Edinburgh Waverley, Euston, Glasgow Central, King’s Cross, Leeds, Liverpool Lime Street, Liverpool Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Paddington and Waterloo.

Heidi Alexander, Secretary of State for Transport, said:

This is a game changer for passengers up and down the country and will revolutionise journeys from Paddington to Penzance and Edinburgh to Euston.

By boosting connectivity and tackling signal blackspots, we are also ensuring a more reliable and efficient service.

This means better journeys for passengers while supporting our broader Plan for Change goals of economic growth and digital innovation.

This is a multi-year project with the first installation of mobile infrastructure expected to begin in 2026 and fully rolled out by 2028.

The enhanced network will also enable better monitoring of railway assets and facilitate new technologies that rely on improved connectivity, paving the way for more reliable train services and improved safety for railway workers.

Jeremy Westlake, Network Rail’s Chief Financial Officer, said:

I’m delighted that we have now signed this innovative deal with our partners Neos Networks and Freshwave.

This investment model will deliver the necessary upgrades to our telecoms infrastructure faster whilst offering significant value-for-money for the taxpayer and stimulating wider economic benefits across the country.

As we move towards becoming a unified railway with the formation of Great British Railways, the enhanced telecoms infrastructure will play a key role in our ambition to provide a data-driven railway of the future, delivering better connectivity and a better, more reliable train service for our passengers.

Lee Myall, CEO of Neos Networks, said:

Project Reach will support the upgrade of the UK’s connectivity infrastructure, creating new data superhighways that will drive the UK’s digital ambitions forward.

Jacqueline Starr, Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Rail Delivery Group, said:

We know how much customers value good mobile connections when they travel and we’re delighted that a digitally connected railway will soon become a reality. Travelling by rail drives economic growth by connecting businesses and communities, improving productivity, and supporting the transition to net zero.

This vital upgrade to telecoms across the network will give everyone the opportunity to stay connected, wherever they’re headed.

This partnership marks a major stride towards improved performance and better services for passengers as part of Great British Railways, as the Transport Secretary continues to deliver the government’s Plan for Change with a more connected, efficient, and passenger-focused railway fit for the future.

It also builds on £41 million confirmed in the government’s National Infrastructure Strategy to introduce low-earth-orbit satellite connectivity on all mainline trains, significantly improving both the availability and internet data connection speeds for wifi connected passengers.

Be good if this is actually delivered. I'd rather this than focussing on WiFi to be honest. Mobile data in the UK is cheap and fast. There should be WiFi also but it can just use mobile data if the dead zones are eliminated.

 

[PeteJB]

Yes, I just saw this story on the BBC and thought, “why not just use Starlink/Kuiper?” But reading this longer statement, I see that’s already in the pipeline and I think I understand now – it’s all well and good installing Starlink on a train, but not so great if 200 people are all trying to use it. So this seems like a multi-pronged approach to run train wi-fi off satellites, and also remove dead spots along the tracks so people can use their own devices? (And of course, Starlink doesn’t work in tunnels!)

 

[duffield]

Yes, I just saw this story on the BBC and thought, “why not just use Starlink/Kuiper?” But reading this longer statement, I see that’s already in the pipeline and I think I understand now – it’s all well and good installing Starlink on a train, but not so great if 200 people are all trying to use it. So this seems like a multi-pronged approach to run train wi-fi off satellites, and also remove dead spots along the tracks so people can use their own devices? (And of course, Starlink doesn’t work in tunnels!)

Starlink not only doesn't work in tunnels, it needs direct line of sight to the satellite so it will drop in and out in many cuttings and heavily built up areas. For moving vehicles of any kind it's best suited to the "wide open plains". Also they charge a premium for the mobile version of the service compared to the static version - even with bulk rates it would potentially be a lot more expensive for the railways than mobile. And the latency is worse than mobile signals due to the round trip to the satellite, so not so good for video calls etc.

 

[camflyer]

Good news but surely laying fibre optic cables along railway lines should have been done many years ago. Just seems an obvious solution for providing data services to trains and backbone connectivity between towns.

 

[brad465]

On track and online: landmark deal to end mobile dead zones

Project Reach deal signed to boost connectivity and remove mobile signal blackspots on the rail network.

www.gov.uk

Be good if this is actually delivered. I'd rather this than focussing on WiFi to be honest. Mobile data in the UK is cheap and fast. There should be WiFi also but it can just use mobile data if the dead zones are eliminated.

Doesn't Wifi on trains rely on mobile data coverage anyway? That was the impression I got as from personal experience, Wifi and data signals correlate almost 1:1.

I would like train Wifi improved as well though (which increasing mobile data should do if my hypothesis is correct), as laptops rely on Wifi more, and mobile hotspots are very data intensive, even if plans are cheap per data unit.

 

[styles]

Doesn't Wifi on trains rely on mobile data coverage anyway? That was the impression I got as from personal experience, Wifi and data signals correlate almost 1:1.

I would like train Wifi improved as well though (which increasing mobile data should do if my hypothesis is correct), as laptops rely on Wifi more, and mobile hotspots are very data intensive, even if plans are cheap per data unit.

Some use satellite also, e.g. https://www.icomera.com/solutions/surewan-aggregation-protocol/ uses a combination of cellular and satellite.

 

[duffield]

Doesn't Wifi on trains rely on mobile data coverage anyway? That was the impression I got as from personal experience, Wifi and data signals correlate almost 1:1.

I would like train Wifi improved as well though (which increasing mobile data should do if my hypothesis is correct), as laptops rely on Wifi more, and mobile hotspots are very data intensive, even if plans are cheap per data unit.

The WiFi on trains does rely on mobile data coverage, and in theory could always be better than than direct use of the mobile network due to having a larger, external aerial. But I think what's happened in practice is that the mobile equipment serving the WiFi has not been frequently upgraded and so has not kept pace with technology and perhaps not been specified with enough bandwidth, so in reality people with even a moderately recent, moderately decent phone get better results with a direct connection. Also mobile data is so much cheaper than when on-train WiFi was first introduced.

Another issue which I encountered a few years back (haven't tried recently) was fiddly and tedious signup processes for on-train WiFi, although maybe that's been dropped now. Finally, some on train WiFi has had some pretty restrictive blocking - and I'm not talking about 'NSFW' sites; due to bandwidth restrictions train WiFi always seemed to block streaming and video of any kind - again this may have changed since I last tried - but these days that's one of the most popular uses, with TikTok and WhatsApp video calls etc.

Summary: On train WiFi should always be better than direct mobile connection, but it's actually mostly worse!

 

[AY1975]

According to this story from the Metro, there was also a pledge of £41 million towards low-earth-orbit satellite connectivity for all main line trains:

MSN

Alexander’s announcement comes days after another boost for notoriously terribly train WiFi was included in the government’s industrial strategy plans.

They included a pledge of £41 million towards introducing low-earth-orbit satellite connectivity for all mainline trains, which would ‘significantly

improve both the availability and internet connection speeds for WiFi-connected passengers’.

I can't find any other reference to this pledge from the government's industrial strategy, though. I've had a look on the official government pages on the industrial strategy at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/the-uks-modern-industrial-strategy-2025 but can't find anything about it there. Can anyone find any other reference to this?

UPDATE: According to the press release on the government website at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/on-track-and-online-landmark-deal-to-end-mobile-dead-zones this actually refers to the previous Tory government's National Infrastructure Strategy:

It also builds on £41 million confirmed in the government’s National Infrastructure Strategy to introduce low-earth-orbit satellite connectivity on all mainline trains, significantly improving both the availability and internet data connection speeds for wifi connected passengers.

If you click on the above link to the National Infrastructure Strategy Document it does contain a number of references to tackling mobile connectivity blackspots but even there I can't find any specific reference to addressing mobile connectivity on the rail network.

 

[stuving]

I can't find any other reference to this pledge from the government's industrial strategy, though. I've had a look on the official government pages on the industrial strategy at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/the-uks-modern-industrial-strategy-2025 but can't find anything about it there. Can anyone find any other reference to this?

UPDATE: According to the press release on the government website at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/on-track-and-online-landmark-deal-to-end-mobile-dead-zones this actually refers to the previous Tory government's National Infrastructure Strategy:

If you click on the above link to the National Infrastructure Strategy Document it does contain a number of references to tackling mobile connectivity blackspots but even there I can't find any specific reference to addressing mobile connectivity on the rail network.

You were right the first time - they do have the wrong link in that! The £41M was in "The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy 2025", published on Monday. On page 83 of the main policy paper, it has this in a list of "interventions" with the objective of "removing planning barriers and accelerating infrastructure":

Help business travellers be more productive with improved Wi-Fi access. By spending £41 million to introduce low-earth-orbit satellite connectivity on all mainline trains, we will significantly improve both the availability and internet connection speeds for Wi-Fi-connected passengers, in turn enabling a better-integrated transport network.

Following that in the list comes:

Improve connectivity by investing in new transport infrastructure across England and Wales during this Spending Review period, with:
−Delivering major rail projects such as East-West Rail, the Transpennine Route Upgrade, HS2, and infrastructure in Wales, and taking forward work on Northern Powerhouse Rail, as well as renewal and maintenance of the existing network.
−£24 billion of capital funding between 2026-27 and 2029-30 to maintain and improve motorways and local roads across the country.
−£15.6 billion up to 2031/23 for some of England’s largest city regions to improve transport connectivity via the Transport for City Regions settlements, and £2.3 billion funding for the Local Transport Grant to improve transport connectivity in smaller cities, towns, and rural areas.
−£900 million per year to maintain and improve bus services. Illustrative industry analysis suggests that public investment in bus infrastructure and services can generate returns of up to £4.55 for every £1 invested.56
−£400 million to support the roll-out of charging infrastructure across the country, including to facilitate the deployment of zero emission vans and HGVs.

So you know what sort of a promise it is.

 

[Harpo]

I’ll not hold my breath. Similar promises were made in the late 1990s when MOMs could struggle to get a decent signal on incident sites.

Much of our mobile phone networks remain poor. Only this year I’ve had long stretches of ‘E’ or no signal while walking the Welsh coast but have streamed a live rugby match with 5G reception 4 miles off of the coast in Europe.

 

[AdamWW]

The WiFi on trains does rely on mobile data coverage, and in theory could always be better than than direct use of the mobile network due to having a larger, external aerial.

Also it depends which network (or networks) they use.

 

[WolvertonWorks]

Good news but surely laying fibre optic cables along railway lines should have been done many years ago. Just seems an obvious solution for providing data services to trains and backbone connectivity between towns.

When I heard the news item early this morning my reaction was "but they did that years ago" but I guess it was old fashioned data cables I was remembering and not fibre optic.

I remember the local canal towpath being dug up some years ago so that cables could be laid along it as it was a useful route - perhaps that's what I'm thinking of rather than the railway.

 

[aron2smith]

EMR certainly needs this, the signal is awful between Kettering and Nottingham, when in the rural sections and train wifi is not much better!

 

[camflyer]

When I heard the news item early this morning my reaction was "but they did that years ago" but I guess it was old fashioned data cables I was remembering and not fibre optic.

I remember the local canal towpath being dug up some years ago so that cables could be laid along it as it was a useful route - perhaps that's what I'm thinking of rather than the railway.

I found this press release from 2021

Network Rail is seeking private sector investment in its trackside fibre optic cable network in a deal that would enable performance, safety and connectivity benefits for passengers.​

Network Rail invites £1bn private sector investment in telecoms - Network Rail

Network Rail is seeking private sector investment in its trackside fibre optic cable network in a deal that would enable...

www.networkrail.co.uk

 

[styles]

EMR certainly needs this, the signal is awful between Kettering and Nottingham, when in the rural sections and train wifi is not much better!

It also depends on rolling stock. My experience is Voyagers are like Faraday cages. In that sense Wifi would help.

 

[yorksrob]

Good luck with O2. The network's one giant blackspot.

 

[AdamWW]

Good luck with O2. The network's one giant blackspot.

Yes!

 

[stuving]

Here is the key part of Neos's press release:

Project Reach, a new ground-breaking partnership between Network Rail, Neos Networks and Freshwave, will see an end to the worst signal blackspots on the major rail arteries of Britain as the companies join forces to provide the biggest upgrade to Britain’s rail telecoms infrastructure in decades, benefiting millions of rail passengers, establishing the beginnings of a new high capacity telecoms infrastructure for Great British Railways to take forward and build upon, and supporting the digital ambitions of the nation’s businesses.
...
The project will initially see Neos Networks deploy 1,000km of ultrafast, high-count* fibre optic cable laid along lengths of the East Coast Main Line (the route from London King’s Cross to Newcastle), the Chiltern Main Line and part of the West Coast Main Line to Manchester (the route from London Marylebone to Birmingham and then via the West Midlands to Stafford and on to Manchester) and the Great Western Main Line (the route from London Paddington to Cardiff). There is an ambition to grow the network to beyond 5,000km in the future.
...
The enhanced network (currently 48 count cable, moving to 432 count*) will also enable Network Rail to monitor railway assets more effectively and facilitate the rollout of new technologies that rely on better connectivity. This includes trackside sensors and CCTV applications, paving the way for a more joined-up railway with faster and more reliable train services for passengers, as well as improved safety for railway workers.

The project’s innovative commercial model brings together public and private sector investment and infrastructure. This is expected to save taxpayers around £300m while delivering substantial benefits to rail users.

Neos Networks, a leading B2B telecoms provider backed by Infracapital and SSE, will deploy high-count fibre trackside in return for commercialising spare fibre, upgrading Network Rail’s critical telecoms infrastructure to provide future capacity required to enable a suite of digitally driven railway benefits. The scheme will also create a high-performing digital connectivity backbone for businesses, providing connectivity to data centres and high-performance edge facilities, supporting the UK’s digital ambitions and driving innovation.

That's similar to the deal Merseyrail did with someone (I forget who*).

Similarly, the key part of Freshwave's press release is:

The multi-year “Project Reach” encompasses the East Coast Main Line, the West Coast Main Line and the Great Western Main Line. We’re collaborating with Network Rail and the MNOs to bring high capacity 5G to 12 mainline stations and contiguous coverage through the mainline tunnels 250m and longer, which is a key enabler to delivering seamless service on trains.

We’ll also be covering the associated cuttings – a type of excavation made through high ground to allow a railway line to maintain a gentle gradient. In total, 57 tunnels and associated cuttings will have mobile connectivity deployed in them under Project Reach.

For passengers on these lines, Project Reach will make a noticeable difference in some of the most frustrating parts of their journey. The mobile connectivity will mean fewer dropped calls, smoother streaming, and more consistent access to travel updates – even when the train passes through deep cuttings or long tunnels. It’s a major step towards a more connected, reliable mobile experience on key parts of the UK rail network.

All tunnel designs will be in line with the JOTS rail coverage specifications, meaning they’ll be designed to work for all the MNOs from the outset.


By deploying C-RAN 4G/5G distributed antenna systems (DAS) with the MNOs in 12 Network Rail stations, millions of passengers and many staff in them will be able to enjoy assured mobile connectivity in these high footfall venues. The stations that will be covered are Birmingham New Street, Bristol Temple Meads, Edinburgh Waverley, Glasgow Central, Leeds, Liverpool Lime Street, London Euston, London King’s Cross, London Liverpool Street, London Paddington, London Waterloo, and Manchester Piccadilly.

We’re currently in discussions with all the MNOs about them joining Project Reach and look forward to sharing updates when details are confirmed in coming months. We’ll be agreeing the order of deployment for the tunnels and stations in collaboration with Network Rail and the MNOs.

That's similar to the 4G/5G programmes on the Underground and the Brighton Line.

(*Actually Merseytravel split the fibre capacity with Network Rail, but the funding arrangement was different.)

 

[aron2smith]

It also depends on rolling stock. My experience is Voyagers are like Faraday cages. In that sense Wifi would help.

Makes sense but I've never had phone issues on Crosscountry once. Only EMR and the western sections of GWR and SWR and I think maybe one section of the WCML south of Warrington Bank Quay, it was iffy. Even the Highlands routes on Scotrail surprised with their phone signal which was still usable even in the middle of no where!

 

[zwk500]

Makes sense but I've never had phone issues on Crosscountry once. Only EMR and the western sections of GWR and SWR and I think maybe one section of the WCML south of Warrington Bank Quay, it was iffy. Even the Highlands routes on Scotrail surprised with their phone signal which was still usable even in the middle of no where!

Plenty of phone data/train wifi issues on XC between Birmingham and Bristol although I suspect that's a general signal thing and not anything to do with the railway.

 

[Energy]

When I heard the news item early this morning my reaction was "but they did that years ago" but I guess it was old fashioned data cables I was remembering and not fibre optic.

Network Rail has existing ones for its purposes, which are mostly 24 or 48-core fibre cables. Neos is deploying 432-core fibre cables, half the capacity is for Network Rail, other half for Neos to use commercially.

I remember the local canal towpath being dug up some years ago so that cables could be laid along it as it was a useful route - perhaps that's what I'm thinking of rather than the railway.

They were dug up for Fibreway, now part of Sky. Canal and Rivers Trust has a blog post on it.

 

[jazzy]

I've never had phone issues on Crosscountry once.

That’s very interesting, as per other comments my experience has been the ‘Faraday cage’ type for years. I’ve been on different networks over that period and have had quite a few phones. I’d been led to believe it was because of the metallic solar glazing film. It also extends to GPS reception, my phone has almost no idea where it is when on Crosscountry with an accuracy measured in km rather than the normal metres.

I’d love to know how you’ve not been affected. What network and phone do you use?

 

[aron2smith]

That’s very interesting, as per other comments my experience has been the ‘Faraday cage’ type for years. I’ve been on different networks over that period and have had quite a few phones. I’d been led to believe it was because of the metallic solar glazing film. It also extends to GPS reception, my phone has almost no idea where it is when on Crosscountry with an accuracy measured in km rather than the normal metres.

I’d love to know how you’ve not been affected. What network and phone do you use?

Admittedly I don't use Crosscountry more than a couple times a year, so maybe I misremember. But last time I used them, went from Coventry to Oxford, no issues from what I remember. I use 3, was a Pixel 7a but gone back to my iPhone 11 Pro now. I've only done the Birmingham to Bristol section two or three times, horrible overcrowding on that section! Also I don't have an answer, no idea.

 

[Pete_uk]

It might depend on the frequency being used?