The Elizabeth line has received 4G and 5G mobile connections for the first time between Liverpool Street and Paddington stations.
After all stations on the line got mobile coverage earlier this year, Transport for London (TfL) and Boldyn Networks, TfL’s partner in delivering the connectivity, have now introduced coverage within the tunnels from the Royal Oak portal to the west of Paddington to Liverpool Street station – approximately five miles.
All four mobile network operators – Three UK, EE, Vodafone and Virgin Media O2 – are taking part in the roll-out.
TfL said further tunnelled sections to Whitechapel, Canary Wharf and Woolwich will be connected across the summer, building on all Elizabeth line stations getting mobile coverage earlier this year.
The current roll-out should see around 80% of all London Underground stations, ticket halls and tunnels connected by the end of 2024, or around 220 of 272 stations.
A signal is provided along tunnels using cables known as ‘leaky feeders’ that can emit and receive radio waves. The cable is ‘leaky’ in that it has gaps or slots in its outer conductor to allow the radio signal to leak into or out of the cable along its entire length.
Around 500 people are working overnight across the Tube network to install mobile equipment, with all works needed to be tidied away before the network opens for customers every morning. Once fully delivered, more than 2,000 kilometres of cabling as well as thousands of radios are expected to be installed within tunnels and stations, all of which will be fitted outside of operational hours.
Along with allowing customers to stay connected, the expanding coverage will also give rail and Tube staff better connectivity to pass on information and host the new emergency services network (ESN). The ESN, which has been repeatedly delayed, will give first responders immediate access to life-saving data, images and information in live situations and emergencies on the frontline.
Billy D’Arcy, UK CEO at Boldyn Networks, said: “This will benefit a huge number of passengers travelling between Liverpool Street and Paddington, including tourists travelling through central London this summer, as progress continues on the roll-out of our new digital infrastructure for London.”
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