Wi-Fi on trains

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That this House welcomes the recent successful pilot study conducted by Peninsula Transport into consistent and reliable train Wi-Fi on Great Western Railway (GWR) trains; notes that the average rail journey from stations in Cornwall to London is between four and five and a half hours, creating a substantial deficit in productivity due to current onboard Wi-Fi reliability sitting at just 25 per cent; highlights that dependable, secure connectivity is vital for enabling modern remote working and seamless Wi-Fi calling; recognises that upgrading all 93 trains in the current GWR fleet is estimated to cost £12 million out of a national ring-fenced fund of approximately £57 million; believes that spreading this budget thinly across various franchises would create a fragmented service, leading to uneven passenger demand and widespread customer dissatisfaction when unequipped trains are substituted; and calls on the Department for Transport and Great British Railways to reward the South West's proactive leadership in bringing this technology forward by prioritising the GWR network for comprehensive Wi-Fi upgrades to safeguard the region's economic connectivity.