T-Mobile brings WiFi mobile broadband service to Virgin trains

Passengers on some Virgin trains will now have access an on-train WiFi broadband service, thanks to a web platform created by T-Mobile.

The plan to put mobile broadband on Virgin's West Coast Mainline trains was announced back in April this year, and has been phased in on different train classes as the year has progessed. First up were Virgin's 52 Pendolino trains, and now it's the turn of the 'Super Voyager' class which operate on the lines between London and southern Scotland, via the West Midlands and the North West.

The on-train WiFi service has been created by a partnership between T-Mobile and Nomad Digital, a leading provider of data communications to the transportation sector. The West Coast mainline serves some 22.5m passengers per year, many of whom will now have access to the WiFI service. First class passengers will enjoy complimentary access, while T-Mobile contract customers have unlimited WiFi hotspot access as part of their bundle, and other customers will be able to purchase hotspot passes from their WiFI enabled devices.

Graham Leech, executive director of commercial for Virgin Trains, said: "We're always looking at ways to improve the travel experience for our passengers so we're pleased to be able to answer their requests for access to the internet on our trains." He added that T-Mobile has a 'strong record' of helping to make such services available.