North Highlands Trains to Trial Fast Onboard WiFi via LEO Broadband Satellites

The Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) looks set to start a year-long trial that will upgrade trains on the Far North and Kyle lines (railway) in the Highlands of Scotland with “the best Wi-Fi experience of any train service” in the UK. The capacity for this will be supplied by unspecified broadband satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

The project, which appears to have the backing of both ScotRail and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), aims to start fitting the new system during this autumn (2024). The service itself would then become available from December 2024 and run until the end of 2025.

Trains that run on these routes typically pass through some of the most intermittent and least reliable areas of mobile network coverage in the UK, which is obviously something that the new system could tackle. But it would cost around £26,700 per two-car train to deliver, which is after the one-off design costs of £95,000 and one-off system integration of £40,000 (i.e. the first train conversion will cost up to just under £162k).

The cost of potentially deploying this across all 25 of the Class 158 fleet of trains based in Inverness (i.e. not only those on the Far North Line) could, however, reach “just” £802,500 if the trial were to be rolled out more widely.

Robert Gardner, Associate Director of the SFT, said (Inverness Courier):

“High-speed broadband internet access on trains would be a major step towards improving the passenger experience and could provide significant benefits to both passengers and train operating companies.

Many rail passengers may need to stay connected to the internet during their journey, whether for work or personal reasons. Providing internet access can make their journey more convenient, attractive, and enjoyable.

Many people use their commute time to catch up on work, answer emails, or complete other tasks. With good internet access, commuters can stay connected and productive during their ride, maximizing their time.”

The article doesn’t mention which satellite operator would supply the service, although both OneWeb (here) and Starlink have suitable LEO broadband networks and related technologies.