UK rail network gets on track for enhanced connectivity

In what will bring great relief to the nation’s rail users – especially those now having to make more journeys through return-to-office policies – Network Rail, Neos Networks and Freshwave have launched Project Reach, a partnership designed to end the worst signal blackspots on the major rail arteries of Britain.

The project’s commercial model will bring together public and private sector investment and infrastructure, and is claimed to be able to save taxpayers around £300m while delivering substantial benefits to rail users. The scheme also aims to create a high-performing digital connectivity backbone for businesses, providing connectivity to datacentres and high-performance edge facilities, supporting the UK’s digital ambitions and driving innovation.

Network Rail is the owner and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Britain, and teaming with the business-dedicated network firm and connectivity infrastructure-as-a-service provider is designed to deliver the biggest upgrade to Britain’s rail telecoms infrastructure in decades.

The railway’s current fibre optic cable system uses 24- and 48-count cable similar to that found in the ground on residential streets. The new network will see use of a Neos Networks 432-core high count cable, hugely increasing the network’s capability. Network Rail will use half the new capacity and Neos will commercialise the other half.

Neos will initially deploy 1,000km of ultrafast, high-count fibre optic cable laid along lengths of the East Coast Main Line, that is 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 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 to Cardiff. The partners added that there was “an ambition” to grow the network to beyond 5,000km in the future.

For its part, Freshwave will be collaborating with the UK’s mobile network operators (MNOs) to bring 4G/5G indoor connectivity to 12 stations, namely: Birmingham New St, Bristol Temple Meads, Edinburgh Waverley, Euston, Glasgow Central, King’s Cross, Leeds, Liverpool Lime Street, Liverpool Street, Manchester Piccadilly, London Paddington and London Waterloo. The first installation of mobile infrastructure is expected to begin in 2026.

Freshwave will also be working with the MNOs to bring 4G mobile connectivity, with an upgrade path to 5G, into 57 tunnels that are 250m and longer on the three lines – Great Western Main Line, East Coast Main Line, West Coast Main Line. This includes the 4km-long Chipping Sodbury tunnel near Bristol and Gasworks, and Copenhagen tunnels outside King’s Cross.

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 roll-out 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.

Commenting on the project, its aims and what it could deliver, Jeremy Westlake, Network Rail’s chief financial officer, said: “This investment model will deliver the necessary upgrades to our telecoms infrastructure faster, while 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,” he said.

Neos Networks CEO Lee Myall added: “Connectivity has become the cornerstone of innovation. The increasing demand for datacentre capacity and the unprecedented growth in AI-driven data demands are pushing the boundaries of existing infrastructure. 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.”