Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure the improvement of the mobile phone network infrastructure to cover existing gaps in coverage on main transport routes.

The Government recognises the importance of fitting out trains with new Wi-Fi equipment and improving mobile on rail networks in England and Wales. The Government is encouraging Train Operating Companies to develop innovative approaches to ensure good mobile coverage on their lines, and to see how best to eliminate not spots on their routes. The Department for Transport (DfT) have also introduced obligations for free Wi-Fi across all our rail passenger franchises, and this is now secured in 10 (out of 15) franchises. DfT forecast that 90% of passenger journeys will have access to free Wi-Fi by the end of 2018, with nearly 100% by 2020.