Plans to install Wi-Fi on the Tyne and Wear Metro have been dropped after being deemed too expensive – but bosses say they want to give passengers ‘seamless’ mobile signal instead.
Wi-Fi connectivity was meant to be one of the upgrades coming with the Metro’s long-awaited new £362m fleet of trains, the first of which is now in the UK and should shortly arrive in the North East. But transport chiefs announced on Friday that they have decided against the move, saying it would be too costly and likely used by “very few” people.
However, Metro operator Nexus still has big plans to boost digital connectivity on the network in other ways. The public body says it will instead focus its investment on improving 4G and 5G connection across the Metro system, getting rid of “not spots” around the network.
