Published on: Tuesday, 17 April 2018
Last updated: Tuesday, 17 April 2018
Greater Anglia is investing £4.5 million to upgrade and install free WiFi on commuter trains between East Anglia and London.
Engineers are currently installing new hardware onto trains to improve WiFi availability and offer a new, free infotainment channel called Connect that will allow passengers to watch NOW TV and Hayu TV shows, keep up to date with the latest news and weather, read magazines and see movie trailers on the move on selected trains when they log on to the company’s app or at www.gaconnect.tv.
The investment means that up to 907,000 passengers a month could save on their personal data charges by connecting to Greater Anglia’s free on-board WiFi instead.
Each passenger can access up to 90MB of free WiFi and the new infotainment offering means that, if this limit is reached, they can still enjoy on board infotainment for free.
Connect TV is provided by a local server installed on the train so accessing it doesn’t use up passengers’ WiFi allowance and - even better – they won’t have to use their own data to stream shows.
Free WiFi and infotainment is currently available on all Intercity services between Norwich and London, but it is now being rolled out to other trains in the operator’s fleet, with installation expected to be complete by the end of the year.
Currently Greater Anglia’s Class 321 Renatus trains – which run between Southend, Clacton, Colchester and Liverpool Street - are having WiFi and infotainment installed, with 11 out of 30 trains completed so far.
Stansted Express trains will then start to be upgraded with the new WiFi and infotainment package in April.
The Class 360 and Class 317 trains which operate commuter services in Essex, Hertfordshire, and between Cambridge to Liverpool Street, will have free WiFi and infotainment installed in the summer.
Project Manager, Vrushik Patel, said, “We are really excited about our new WiFi and infotainment package which we are working to install on more of our trains across the network. It will save passengers money, provide free entertainment and improve our passengers’ journey experience.
“While we await the arrival of the brand new trains in 2019, which will also have free WiFi and infotainment, we are committed to continuing to invest in our current fleet to improve passengers’ journeys now.”
WiFi capability will be available on all Intercity, Stansted Express and Class 317, 321 and 360 trains.
Connect TV, the free infotainment package will be available on all Intercity, Stansted Express, Class 360 trains and selected Class 317 and 321 services.