Rail travellers in Britain benefit far more from onboard wi-fi than those in mainland Europe, with only a limited number of major routes and train types covered in countries like Germany and France.
A map produced by online seller MyTrainTicket.co.uk has highlighted coverage now available on the majority of train companies in the UK.
The latest to join is National Express East Anglia, which will offer wi-fi on its trains from the New Year on the London-Norwich route and on the Stansted Express from May. Passengers on both services will be charged a flat £2.95 fee.
MyTrainTicket concludes that where British train companies do offer wi-fi, it is offered across their networks, unlike on European trains, where coverage is much patchier.
The site claims that only 10-15 per cent of French TGV trains offer wi-fi and that it is impossible to predict which these will be. It also found that Germany has the fullest coverage after Britain, but that this applies only to routes from Frankfurt to Hamburg, Munich and Cologne. No trains serving Berlin offer wi-fi.
“Just as Britain led the way in establishing railways in the Industrial Revolution, so the train companies are now at the forefront of the digital revolution,” said Alistair Lees, Managing Director of MyTrainTicket.co.uk.
The survey highlighted the fact that only three UK train companies, Wrexham & Shropshire, Grand Central and Heathrow Express, gave unlimited wi-fi access to standard class passengers. Among the highest charges was Virgin Trains, which levies a £5 fee for an hour’s access or 75p per 10 minutes.