Ben Maguire and Andrew George want £12m for Cornwall train Wi-Fi

Four, five or six hours on a train to Cornwall. According to one Cornish MP, the length of the journey matters less than whether you can get anything done on the way.

Two of Cornwall’s Liberal Democrat MPs want a slice of the Government’s national train Wi-Fi fund spent on the line to the South West.

Ben Maguire (North Cornwall) and Andrew George (St Ives) are calling for £12 million of the £57 million pot to put Starlink and 5G connectivity on every one of GWR’s 93 Intercity Express trains.

What was said in the Commons

Ben put the case to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander in the House of Commons on Thursday morning (29 October). He pointed out that the South West has faced poor rail services, along with further delays from the HS2 works at Old Oak Common.

In reply, Heidi said that Great Western Railway coming into public ownership on 13 December presents an opportunity. She said she hopes to release further details on Wi-Fi in the months ahead.

The full exchange is on the Hansard record of Thursday’s Commons topical questions.

“Terrible Wi-Fi” on flagship trains

Ben said passengers were putting up with poor connections on the region’s main services.

“Passengers across Cornwall and the South West put up with terrible Wi-Fi on trains that are meant to be our region’s flagship services,” he said. “Receiving our fair share of the Government’s national Wi-Fi fund, £12m of a £57m total, could transform journeys for commuters, tourists and businesses right across the South West.”

He described his “Kernow Connect” proposals as a longer-term plan to overhaul rail travel in Cornwall.

“But in the short and medium term we need to upgrade the trains we have now, and that includes electrifying the line,” he said. “I’ll be pressing the Government to deliver for the region.”

Comfort over speed

Andrew took aim at spending elsewhere on the rail network.

“While billions have been wasted on HS2 and other vanity projects, only a fraction of that investment is needed to deliver meaningful improvements for rail passengers across our region,” he said.

“High-quality onboard Wi-Fi has already been successfully trialed and can now be rolled out across the network, transforming the passenger experience and making journey times far less significant, particularly for business travelers and commuters.”

The two MPs are also urging the Transport Secretary to focus on punctuality, reliability, comfort and better onboard services.

“Whether a journey takes four, five or six hours is less important than ensuring people can travel productively, comfortably and with confidence,” Andrew said.

📷Ben Maguire speaking in the House of Commons