evo-rail has found that 64% of 16-35-year-olds would pick a train over other modes of transport if offered access to fast, reliable wireless internet.
An Ipsos poll, carried out on their behalf, also found 41% of adults (16-75) would pick rail if offered the same web surfing access.
Ipsos conducted parallel surveys in Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. In Italy and Spain, a majority of respondents would be more likely to consider taking the train over another mode of transport if there was fast, reliable Wi-Fi on-board (56% and 54% respectively), while over a third of respondents in Germany and France said the same (35% and 36%).
Among train travellers, a third (32%) say that, should they want to travel by rail, they are not confident that they would have access to reliable onboard Wi-Fi coverage.
evo-rail, a technology company formed from FirstGroup, has developed ‘rail-5G’, which it believes is the first multi-gigabit internet solution built for the railways. It adds the technology is 50 times the average speed, and cheaper than mobile data. This solution is being deployed on the South Western Railway network and in Northern Spain, with planned expansion into other global markets.
Simon Holmes, managing director, evo-rail, said: “It is a well-known fact that rail is one of the most sustainable forms of transport, and experts have long said that a modal shift from more polluting travel options to rail is necessary to reduce carbon emissions and ultimately achieve net zero. That is why it is vital we do what we can to attract more passengers onto our trains and away from cars and planes.
“It is up to the industry to put passenger experience at the heart of the sector’s recovery and this polling demonstrates the industry is simply not doing enough to digitalise the railway or meet customer expectations.”
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