Travellers from London King’s Cross Station will no longer suffer poor mobile phone connectivity immediately after leaving the station.

Network Rail, in conjunction with London North Eastern Railway and the private sector, has installed a custom-built Distributed Antenna System inside the Gasworks and Copenhagen tunnels, greatly improving connectivity for users on the O2 and Three networks.

Because of the special infrastructure needed to maintain a mobile signal through the tunnels, a bespoke solution was developed to provide more reliable and consistent mobile phone and on-train Wi-Fi connections.

After rigorous testing at Network Rail’s Innovation and Development Centre, the antennas were installed in the tunnels by the specialist rail connectivity and technology integration company, Aureos.

Gasworks and Copenhagen tunnels are now the first tunnels on the UK’s operational railway that incorporate the technology.

David Horne, London North Eastern Railway Managing Director, commented that the project is a fantastic example of the rail industry and mobile operators coming together to develop and deliver a bespoke solution which improves the overall customer experience. The company knows that a reliable mobile phone and Wi-Fi connection is important to its customers, so it is incredibly proud of the role it has played in helping to improve connectivity.

Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy added that this is a perfect example of track and train coming together to provide tangible improvements ahead of Great British Railways and shows the commitment to putting passenger experience at the top of the rail agenda. An integrated railway can be a driving force for innovative and smart solutions that make train travel more comfortable and convenient and deliver changes that passengers actually want.

“As part of our Mobile Transformation Plan, we are focusing investment into parts of the network that experience the highest levels of demand and areas where connectivity is most critical. Our work with LNER and Network Rail will bring reliable coverage to the Gasworks and Copenhagen tunnels and provide dependable connectivity to our customers in moments that matter.”

Dr Robert Joyce, Director of Mobile Access Engineering at O2