United Kingdom, 3 February – New online polling commissioned by evo-rail has found that a majority (64%) of young people, aged between 16-35, would be more likely to consider taking the train than another mode of transport (e.g. by car, plane, etc.) if there was fast, reliable on-board Wi-Fi provided by the train company.
evo-rail, a UK-based rail technology company formed out of FirstGroup, has developed rail-5G, the first multi-gigabit internet solution built for the railways. rail-5G can dramatically improve connectivity on passenger trains and their technology allows passengers to have constant, uninterrupted and consistent internet 50 times today’s average speeds.
The polling, conducted by Ipsos, found that overall, 41% of adults (16-75) in the UK would be more likely to consider taking the train over other modes of transport (e.g. car, plane, etc.), if train companies provided fast, reliable on-board Wi-Fi.
However, this proportion significantly increased when asking younger generations the same question. 64% of respondents aged 16-24 and 59% of those aged 25-34 said they were more likely to choose rail travel over other modes of transport should they have access to fast, reliable on-board Wi-Fi.
The polling comes as the industry undergoes major transition with the development of Great British Railways and the strategic plan for the next 30 years. Both of which will set out how to improve passenger experience and attract more customers to a greener mode of transport. In particular, the industry is looking to digitalisation and innovation in order to increase the attractiveness of rail.
Ipsos on behalf of evo-rail also conducted parallel surveys in Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. In Italy and Spain, a majority of respondents would be more likely to consider taking the train over another mode of transport if there was fast, reliable Wi-Fi on-board (56% and 54% respectively), while over a third of respondents in Germany and France said the same (35% and 36%).
Among train travellers, a third (32%) claim that, should they want to travel by rail, they are not confident that they would have access to reliable onboard Wi-Fi coverage. The polling revealed that, if fast and reliable Wi-Fi was available on-board, a significant proportion of respondents (82%) say they would use it for a range of online activities. This includes watching surfing the web, using social media and responding to emails.
Simon Holmes, Managing Director, Evo-Rail, said: “It is a well-known fact that rail is one of the most sustainable forms of transport, and experts have long said that a modal shift from more polluting travel options to rail is necessary to reduce carbon emissions and ultimately achieve net zero. That is why it is vital we do what we can to attract more passengers onto our trains and away from cars and planes.
As the industry plans for the next 30 years, this polling is a clear reminder of what passengers expect from a modern railway network. There is a real opportunity for the industry to appeal to more passengers – with almost two-thirds of younger generations more likely to travel by train over other modes of transport if they had access to fast, reliable onboard Wi-Fi provided by the train companies. We know that sharing 40Mb/s between 500 customers is resulting in passenger dissatisfaction, but evo-rail can offer a sustainable solution that costs less and delivers superfast connectivity, with up to 800Mb/s.
This solution, rail-5G, is being deployed on the South Western Railway network and in Northern Spain with planned expansion into other global markets. It is up to the industry to put passenger experience at the heart of the sector’s recovery and this polling demonstrates the industry is simply not doing enough to digitalise the railway or meet customer expectations.”
evo-rail’s solution, rail-5G, can dramatically improve connectivity on our trains by enabling passengers to have access to over 1Gb per second of continuous throughput, 50 times today’s average speeds. This will mean passengers will not only be able to surf the web and respond to emails, but also securely use videoconferencing, stream live sports and download films and other content.
Using mmWave technology, rail-5G can deliver a cost effective and high-speed Wi-Fi at a fraction of the cost of using mobile data. This carbon-neutral solution enables passengers to enjoy unprecedented levels of connectivity, with a similar speed to what they are used to at home or at work.
