article

Connecting the London Underground

Posted: 22 August 2013 | Gareth Bacon, London-Wide Assembly Member, Greater London Authority Conservatives | No comments yet

The London Underground facilitates no voice or SMS communications and recent steps to add Wi-Fi to 120 of the 260 stations is by no means competitive with cities such as Paris and Berlin who have had mobile phone technology since the late-1990s. The Tube needs to play a serious game of catch-up to provide what is becoming a standard in the commuter transport industry. The technology is now almost cost neutral and can provide added value to a system in terms of traffic management, safety, and alternative revenue sources.
The current experience

The prevalence of communications technology is quite impressive, to the point that while travelling on most of the world’s metropolitan transport systems it is commonplace to be connected even when you’re hundreds of feet underground. Metropolitan transport operators are no longer exceeding expectations when connecting passengers underground – they are meeting them.

The London Underground facilitates no voice or SMS communications and recent steps to add Wi-Fi to 120 of the 260 stations is by no means competitive with cities such as Paris and Berlin who have had mobile phone technology since the late-1990s. The Tube needs to play a serious game of catch-up to provide what is becoming a standard in the commuter transport industry. The technology is now almost cost neutral and can provide added value to a system in terms of traffic management, safety, and alternative revenue sources. The current experience The prevalence of communications technology is quite impressive, to the point that while travelling on most of the world’s metropolitan transport systems it is commonplace to be connected even when you’re hundreds of feet underground. Metropolitan transport operators are no longer exceeding expectations when connecting passengers underground – they are meeting them.

The London Underground facilitates no voice or SMS communications and recent steps to add Wi-Fi to 120 of the 260 stations is by no means competitive with cities such as Paris and Berlin who have had mobile phone technology since the late-1990s. The Tube needs to play a serious game of catch-up to provide what is becoming a standard in the commuter transport industry. The technology is now almost cost neutral and can provide added value to a system in terms of traffic management, safety, and alternative revenue sources.

The current experience

The prevalence of communications technology is quite impressive, to the point that while travelling on most of the world’s metropolitan transport systems it is commonplace to be connected even when you’re hundreds of feet underground. Metropolitan transport operators are no longer exceeding expectations when connecting passengers underground – they are meeting them.

Read the full article in our free Digital edition >>