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A PLAN TO INSTALL WI-FI ON THE METRO'S NEW TRAINS WAS DROPPED IN 2023 IN FAVOUR OF PURSUING UNBROKEN 4G AND 5G MOBILE SIGNAL, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN NO CONNECTIVITY UPGRADES SINCE 15:05,
29 May 2025 Tyne and Wear Metro bosses insist they are still “fully committed” to delivering better mobile phone signal for passengers, despite a lack of progress. It has been more than two
years since operator Nexus announced that it was dropping plans to install Wi-Fi on the Metro’s new fleet of trains, in favour of pursuing seamless 4G and 5G connectivity across the system.
Bosses said in February 2023 that they wanted passengers to enjoy “unbroken” phone signal on their journeys, ending frustration with connectivity blackspots. The issue is most notable in the
underground section of the Metro system in central Newcastle and Gateshead. Mobile network EE has provided 4G connectivity through those tunnels since 2019, but other providers like O2,
Vodafone, and Three have not followed suit in the years since. There also remain other problem areas dotted around the Metro map, including a section between Pelaw and Fellgate, where signal
can drop out. The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that there has been no work carried out since the February 2023 pledge to install new infrastructure that would improve
mobile phone connectivity anywhere on the Metro network. Meanwhile in London, uninterrupted 4G and 5G mobile coverage is being rolled out to all underground station ticket halls, platforms
and tunnels on the Tube. Nexus’s head of ICT, Steve Duchar, said the publicly-owned operator was still “fully committed to drive improved mobile phone connectivity for our customers on the
Tyne and Wear Metro”. He added: “Connectivity varies between mobile providers and we would like our customers to have access to a range of networks, however there are challenges within the
mobile connectivity sector and such projects are time consuming and costly. Customers that use the EE network will have connectivity when they are in our underground stations. Article
continues below “Our customers see strong connectivity on trains across most of the system, but there are a number of small stretches where coverage is more limited. We continue with a
digital connectivity project to further engage with major network providers with an outcome focused on delivery of improvements.”