Shortly after the Elizabeth Line stations got underground phone coverage, the tunnels between the stations now have 4G and 5G phone coverage too, allowing people to watch football or general election results on the go. Or tweet about them.
(c) TfL
All Elizabeth Line Underground stations were given 4G coverage earlier this year, and now coverage has 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 in the summer.
Within the tunnels they can offer both 4G and 5G services, while the stations currently only have 4G. Due to technical issues with the antennas and frequencies, 5G will be added to the stations later.
Boldyn Networks is responsible for the rollout and has around 500 staff working mainly at night to provide telephone coverage on the London Underground, DLR and Elizabeth lines, and between Highbury and Islington and New Cross on the London Overground.
Boldyn Networks is carrying out the installation work after being awarded a 20-year concession in June 2021 to build and operate the phone network at TfL stations. It is providing the service free of charge to TfL by leasing the capacity to the mobile network operators. All four mobile networks – Three UK, EE, Vodafone and Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) – have signed up to use the phone coverage they provide.
In addition to providing mobile coverage to the Elizabeth line tunnels, mobile connectivity continues to expand across London Underground in Central London. Recently, Hyde Park Corner and Russell Square stations on the Piccadilly line began receiving coverage, and further sections of the Northern, Bakerloo, Piccadilly and Victoria lines are expected to go live in the coming month.
Map of telephone coverage as of July 2024 (c) TfL
In addition to keeping customers connected, the coverage expansion will also provide improved connectivity for train and metro staff to relay information and host the new Emergency Services Network (ESN). When fully operational, the ESN will give first responders immediate access to life-saving data, images and information in live and frontline emergencies.
In addition to all eight ‘underground’ Elizabeth line stations, 36 Tube stations now have mobile coverage in ticket halls, platform areas and interchanges, with many more, including the southern end of the Northern line, expected to go live by the end of the summer. This represents around 30 per cent of Tube stations that are underground, and when combined with above-ground stations, almost 70 per cent of all stations on the Tube network now have mobile coverage.
Andy Lord, London’s Transport Commissioner, said: “It’s great to see our programme to introduce high-speed mobile coverage now delivering benefits to customers on the Elizabeth Line, the newest part of London’s historic Underground network of stations and tunnels.
“This important step in improving the connectivity of London’s Tube stations and tunnels will ensure more people travelling around the capital can stay in touch, share photos and make the most of the city, especially as we start to enjoy the summer.”
Around 500 people are working overnight across the metro network to install mobile equipment, with all work to be cleared away before the network opens to customers each morning. Once fully commissioned, it is expected that over 2,000 kilometres of cabling and thousands of radios will be installed in tunnels and stations, all of which will be installed outside of operating hours.
List of metro stations where mobile coverage is now available:
Central line
- Holland Park
- Notting Hill Gate
- Queen’s Road
- Lancaster Gate
- Marble arch
- Bond Street (Central and Elizabeth lines only)
- Oxford Circus (Central Line only)
- Tottenham Court Road
- Holborn (central line only)
- Chancellery Lane
- Saint Paul
- Bank (central line only)
Northern line
- Hampstead
- Belsize Park
- Chalk farm
- High Gate
- Bow
- Tufnell Park
- Kentish Town (station closed, but 4G is still provided on the platforms for passing trains)
- Camden Town
- Mornington Half Moon
- Euston (Charing Cross branch)
- Warren Street (Northern Line only)
- Goodgestraat
- Tottenham Court Road
- Clapham Common
Elizabeth Line
- Paddington
- Bond Street
- Tottenham Court Road
- Farringdon
- Liverpool Street (Elizabeth Line only)
- White chapel
- Canary Wharf
- Wolwich
Jubilee line
- Westminster
- Waterloo (Jubilee Line only)
- Southwark
- London Bridge (Jubilee line only)
- Bermondsey
- Canadian waters
- Canary Wharf
- North Greenwich
Piccadilly line
- Russell Square
- Covent Garden
- Hyde Park corner
While work is on track to bring 4G and 5G mobile coverage to a significant proportion of the entire Tube network by the end of 2024, there are some sections of the Tube where work will continue into 2025 to introduce full coverage in stations and tunnels. This work will primarily take place on some sections outside central London, parts of the Circle and District lines where some stations already have limited mobile coverage due to their proximity to the surface, and where smaller tunnelled sections will need to be treated separately.