South Western Railway (SWR) has trialled Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet on a train service to address a persistent signal blackspot in the New Forest. The trial took place on 20 December on a Class 444 train between London Waterloo, Portsmouth Harbour and Weymouth.
Passengers have long struggled with onboard wifi reliant on mobile networks, particularly in remote areas. SWR said the upgrade would significantly improve coverage through the New Forest, historically a major blackspot where passengers could lose internet for over 20 minutes.
Starlink uses a constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites to deliver a stronger, more resilient connection. Early testing shows a 97 per cent coverage rate across the route, enabling faster streaming.
Peter Williams, SWR's customer and commercial director, said reliable wifi supports productivity and makes rail a more attractive travel option. Rail minister Lord Peter Hendy called the trial a game-changer for passengers travelling over the Christmas period.
The trial follows Project Reach, a national partnership aiming to eliminate mobile signal blackspots in tunnels on key UK rail routes by 2028.
