Media centre

Tuesday 29 Mar 2022

New superfast WiFi brings better connectivity to Glasgow and Edinburgh stations

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Passengers can now get free and unlimited WiFi at two of Scotland’s busiest railway stations.

Network Rail has rolled-out the new service at Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley, meaning people can now take advantage of WiFi that’s fast enough to support video calls and streaming.

Coverage is provided in the concourses, platforms, forecourts, taxi ranks and mezzanines, and once logged-in passengers will automatically be connected when they arrive at any of Network Rail’s 19 managed stations across the UK.

To promote the new system and to show the strength of the WiFi service, Network Rail is hosting an Xbox gaming event at Glasgow Central from 11am to 7pm on Thursday 31 March.

Members of the public can compete to win prizes against passengers at London Waterloo station, with games being played live using the station’s WiFi connection.

Drew Burns, Station Manager, Network Rail, said: “Free WiFi has consistently been identified as one of the key improvements that would enhance the station experience, including in the most recent National Rail Passenger Survey.

“Our new service is completely free, allows for unlimited usage and is part of the wider improvements we are making to welcome passengers back to the railway.

“We know that our stations – some of the biggest and busiest in Britain – are now destinations in their own right. While still predominantly filled by passengers waiting for their trains, they also attract passers-by who might want a coffee or something to eat, or to go shopping, or people who are meeting up with friends.

“We are committed to doing everything we can to make sure the station experience is as smooth and enjoyable as it can be for all our passengers, colleagues and station users, and providing free WiFi is a key part of that.”

The Xbox gaming event will feature two Xbox consoles at Glasgow Central and London Waterloo and games will be overseen by technical and promotional staff.

Members of the public in Glasgow are being encouraged to play for free and to compete in a live Forza race against passengers at London Waterloo.

Live footage of each player will be streamed via a webcam and a live leaderboard will display a tally of scores between the two stations, including the fastest players of the day.

At the end of the event, the three fastest players from each station will win a prize of either a gaming chair or an Xbox Game Pass subscription.