EE has significantly expanded its mobile coverage across London’s rail network in anticipation of increasing commuter and traveller numbers.
The UK’s largest mobile operator has deployed nearly 70 new 4G sites across key rail routes in London, with plans for hundreds more to follow.
Improvements have been made on seven sections of the London Euston to Birmingham New Street route and on six sections between London Victoria and Brighton. Other upgraded routes include London Paddington to Reading and London Liverpool Street to Chelmsford.
David Salam, Director of Mobile Networks at EE, said:
“We’ve made huge improvements to key routes in and out of London to keep our customers connected as restrictions begin to ease and the number of workers and visitors returning to the city increases.
Whether listening to music or podcasts, streaming the latest movies, or gaming with friends, our network has been built and upgraded to ensure seamless connectivity on commutes and at London’s busiest rail hubs.”
A notable milestone is the introduction of in-tunnel 4G coverage on the HS1 line between St Pancras International and Ashford International. Further work this summer will extend coverage throughout all tunnels on the route.
EE has also increased network capacity at several high-traffic stations. Capacity has been more than doubled at London Euston, London Liverpool Street, and City Thameslink, with additional enhancements at London Victoria, London King’s Cross, and Charing Cross.
These upgrades reinforce EE’s position as a leading provider of connectivity across London’s rail network. In RootMetrics’ recent Transit Line RootScore report, EE ranked first, or tied for first, in nearly all measured categories across the tested London rail lines.
Passengers will also continue to benefit from improved connectivity on London Underground platforms following EE’s recent agreement to extend its access to Virgin Media’s WiFi network across the Tube system.
The COVID-19 pandemic has driven lasting changes to how people work. Many major UK employers now embrace hybrid and remote working models rather than bringing staff back to the office full-time, a shift reflected in recent surveys.
Beyond benefits to mental health and productivity from greater flexibility, increased homeworking also helps reduce the environmental impact and traffic congestion caused by commuting.
Nevertheless, commuter hubs are expected to become busy again in the coming months. EE’s recent network improvements aim to make that return smoother by providing more reliable and consistent mobile coverage across rail routes and stations.
(Photo by Jonas Tebbe on Unsplash)
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