Shortly after the Elizabeth Line stations got phone coverage underground, the tunnels between the stations now also have 4G and 5G coverage, so people can check football or general election results on their journey. Or tweet about it.
(c) TfL
All underground stations on the Elizabeth line gained 4G coverage earlier this year and coverage has now been extended to the tunnels between Liverpool Street and Paddington (including the tunnel to Royal Oak). The tunnels east of Liverpool Street to Whitechapel, Canary Wharf and Woolwich will be linked over the summer.
They can offer both 4G and 5G services within the tunnels, while the stations only have 4G at the moment. Due to technical issues with antennas and frequencies, 5G will be added to the stations later.
Boldyn Networks is delivering the rollout and has around 500 staff working mainly at night to provide telephone coverage on the London Underground, DLR and Elizabeth lines, as well as between Highbury and Islington and New Cross on the London Overground route.
Boldyn Networks is carrying out the installation work after being awarded a 20-year concession in June 2021 to build and operate the telephone network at TfL stations. The service is provided by TfL free of charge by leasing capacity to mobile network operators. All four mobile networks – UK Three, EE, Vodafone and Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) – have signed up to use the phone coverage they provide.
As well as providing mobile coverage for the Elizabeth Line tunnels, mobile connectivity continues to expand across London Underground in central London. Hyde Park Corner and Russell Square stations on the Piccadilly line have recently started to be covered, and further sections of the Northern, Bakerloo, Piccadilly and Victoria lines are expected to start next month.
July 2024 telephone coverage map (c) TfL
As well as enabling customers to stay connected, the expanding coverage will also provide rail and metro staff with better connectivity to relay information and host the new Emergency Services Network (ESN). Once fully operational, the ESN will provide emergency responders with immediate access to life-saving data, images and information in live situations and frontline emergencies.
In addition to all eight “underground” stations on the Elizabeth line, 36 tube stations now have mobile coverage in concourses, platforms and interchanges, with many more, including the southern end of the Northern line, expected to go live by the end of the year. summer. This represents approximately 30 percent of metro stations that are underground, and combined with metro stations that are above ground, almost 70 percent of all stations in the metro network now have mobile coverage.
London’s Transport Commissioner, Andy Lord, said: “It’s great to see our program to roll out high-speed mobile coverage now benefiting customers on the Elizabeth line, the newest part of London’s historic underground network of stations and tunnels.
“This key step to better connect London’s Tube stations and tunnels will enable more people traveling across the capital to stay in touch, share photos and get the most out of the city, especially as we start to enjoy summer.”
Around 500 people are working overnight on the Tube network to install the mobile devices, with all the work to be cleared before the network opens to customers each morning. Once fully delivered, more than 2,000 kilometers of cabling and thousands of radios are expected to be installed in the tunnels and stations, all of which will be installed out of hours.
List of metro stations where mobile coverage is now available:
Central line
- Holland Park
- Notting Hill Gate
- Queensway
- Lancaster Gate
- Marble Arch
- Bond Street (Central and Elizabeth line only)
- Oxford Circus (Central Line only)
- Tottenham Court Road
- Holborn (Central Line only)
- Chancery Lane
- St. Paul’s
- Bank (central line only)
Northern line
- Hampstead
- Belsize Park
- Chalk farm
- Highgate
- Arc
- Tufnell Park
- Kentish Town (station closed but 4G will still be provided on platforms for passing trains)
- Camden Town
- Mornington Crescent
- Euston (Charing Cross Branch)
- Warren Street (Northern Line only)
- Goodge Street
- Tottenham Court Road
- Clapham Common
Elizabeth line
- Paddington
- Bond Street
- Tottenham Court Road
- Farringdon
- Liverpool Street (Elizabeth Line only)
- Whitechapel
- Canary Wharf
- Woolwich
Jubilee series
- Westminster
- Waterloo (Jubilee Series only)
- Southwark
- London Bridge (Jubilee Line only)
- Bermondsey
- Canada Water
- Canary Wharf
- North Greenwich
Piccadilly line
- Russell Square
- Covent Garden
- Hyde Park Corner
While work continues to ensure that a significant portion of the entire metro network has 4G and 5G mobile coverage by the end of 2024, there may be some sections of the metro where work will continue throughout 2025 to fully roll out coverage in stations and tunnels. This work will primarily be on some sections outside of central London, the Circle and District line sections, where many stations already have limited mobile coverage due to being closer to the surface, and where smaller tunnel sections need to be addressed on an individual basis.