Passengers will be connected better than ever thanks to the launch of free, fast and unlimited WiFi at London Paddington station. This new service which launched at London Paddington station on Monday 1st February, is a key part of Network Rail’s efforts to improve facilities for passengers at its stations, with plans for free WiFi to be available in all of Network Rail’s major stations by the end of 2021 including Bristol Temple Meads station in Spring 2021 and Reading station in Winter 2021.
London Paddington station follows in the footsteps of Victoria, Euston and London Bridge stations which have already introduced this new service.
The WiFi uses the latest technology and will benefit passengers by offering unlimited browsing, seamless connectivity and single sign-on at all WiFi-enabled stations, allowing passengers to stay connected throughout their journey. It can also be used on multiple devices and is ‘Friendly WiFi’ certified too, which means that it has met the Government's safe filtering standards for public WiFi and is child friendly.
This new service is the latest initiative by Network Rail as part of the continued transformation and improvements at London Paddington station for the benefit of its passengers. Over the past 18 months a number of enhancements have already been made including making the public toilets free to use; provision of a water bottle refill station, additional and improved seating areas, including wireless charging points; and additional passenger information boards, providing clearer breakdowns of their journey times, local area information and station facilities information.
Susan Evans, Network Rail’s Head of stations and passenger experience, said: “We are delighted to be introducing free WiFi at London Paddington station. We are continually striving to identify ways to ensure our passengers have the best possible experience when in our stations and boosting our passengers’ ability to remain digitally connected is the latest example of these efforts. It is understandably much quieter in the stations and on the trains currently, but we are continuing to make improvements for the benefit of our passengers and look forward to welcoming back passengers to a safe, reliable, efficient and now digitally better connected railway.”
Steve Dalton, Managing Director Transport, Telent Technology Services, who are providing the WiFi, said: “Telent is delighted to see free WiFi being rolled out in stations. People want – and need – to stay connected, and we’re proud to be supporting Network Rail’s initiative to deliver an enhanced passenger experience. Continuing our successful and valued partnership with Network Rail is important to us, and we look forward to seeing the world-class service WiFi roll out across more stations in the UK.”