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Done and dusted: GNER wi-fi trains rollout
Kit-out finished ahead of schedule...

By David Meyer

Published: Friday 27 October 2006

Rail operator GNER has completed the fit-out of all its trains with wi-fi broadband connectivity.

The company, which operates the UK's East Coast line, has installed the technology on all 41 of its trains ahead of schedule. The £3.2m project had originally been due for completion in May of next year.

Jonathan Metcalfe, GNER's chief executive officer, said: "Wireless internet has immense potential for both business and leisure users, and we're very encouraged by the usage levels and positive feedback from passengers."

The company claims it now operates the "world's biggest fleet of wireless internet equipped train carriages, and Britain's first all-wi-fi train fleet". The service is free for first class passengers, while standard class customers can use it on a pay-as-you-go basis. Half an hour's connectivity costs £2.95, while a full day's use will cost £9.95.

The wi-fi installation was supplied and fitted by Swedish company Icomera. The downlink backhaul — the basic connection which then feeds into the onboard wi-fi network — relies on a roof-mounted satellite connection and a 3G/GPRS uplink is provided via a mobile phone antenna, although spectrum was recently made available which could be used to make the uplink satellite-based too.

In the picture...

♦  Photos: How GNER's on-board wi-fi works

Several other rail routes, such as Virgin's West Coast service and Southern Trains' Brighton Express, have opted instead for WiMax backhaul, which theoretically provides better speeds and lower latency and is based on fixed-WiMax transmitters placed strategically along the train line.

GNER's John Gelson said, while keeping an open mind for the future, the company had opted for the combination of 3G/GPRS and satellite connectivity because of the "unique environmental challenges" posed by GNER's route.

He said: "Some parts are very geographically isolated, and there are several tunnels. It's such a mixture, which is the reason why we didn't go for a ground-based system," adding that, unlike Virgin, GNER operates a network of routes rather than one continuous line.

Other major rail operators have thus far ignored the issue of on-train wi-fi. A spokesperson for South West Trains said the company is "assessing the feasibility of it" but has no current plans for a rollout, while First Group — whose lines include First Great Western and First ScotRail — is concentrating instead on installing wi-fi in some of its stations.

A First Group spokesperson said: "The move in technology with handheld devices like BlackBerrys means not everyone wants to use laptops on trains."

David Meyer writes for ZDNet UK