Rail passengers in England could lose wifi access amid cost cuts
Train passengers face losing access to wifi after the government told rail companies to stop providing the service unless they can demonstrate its business case.
The move is being pushed by the Department for Transport (DfT) in order to cut costs as it looks to “reform all aspects of the railway”.
Most British train services now provide free wifi as standard but the DfT has told its contracted operators in England that they should cease offering it if they could not justify it financially.
The department said it was looking for “value for money” and wifi was low on passenger’s priorities, particularly on shorter journeys.
The drive was questioned by passenger groups and industry figures who said the railway should be continuing to do all it could to attract people back, with peak commuter numbers still significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels.
Christian Wolmar, who revealed the proposals on the Calling All Stations podcast, said it was a “ridiculous measure”, adding: “The DfT actually wants to reduce the quality of the train service by saying to passengers, sorry you can’t access wifi.
“It’s all about saving money. But we’re trying to attract commuters back on to the railway, and people like to get on their phone or laptops.
“They’re going backwards. My view is that wifi is as essential as toilets now – people expect to be connected.”
Bruce Williamson from the passenger campaign group Railfuture said: “One of the great things about travelling by train is that you can work or watch a video or listen to a podcast – and wifi is pretty essential for that.
“We should be encouraging passengers to get back on the trains and this is a good example of a move that is going to make rail less attractive.”
A DfT spokesperson said: “Our
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