Multi-million pound free Wi-Fi investment on Mid Wales trains complete

Passengers boarding anywhere on the Cambrian Line, from Pwllheli down to Machynlleth and Aberystwyth, across to Shrewsbury and Birmingham will all be able to take advantage of the free Wi-Fi facility.

Phase one of the project, which was funded by nearly £2.5m of investment from the Department of Transport, has seen all class 150, 158 and 175 trains receive the investment which will allow passengers to connect to the internet while travelling.

It is hoped the investment will prove a major economic boost for the area, allowing people to work while travelling.

While Aberystwyth station is also set to benefit from free Wi-Fi as part of phase two of the project, which will be funded by the Welsh Government.

The installation has been taking place at ATW's Machynlleth and Canton train maintenance depots over the last few months in partnership with the supplier, Icomera. The Wi-Fi system has been fully operational throughout the installation programme and has already started to receive positive feedback from ATW customers.

Andrew Trigg, project manager, said: "The target date for all first phase units to be fitted was the April 2 but due to some excellent collaboration between ATW train engineers and the ATW operations team, we have been able to get all of the trains completed ahead of schedule.

"The suppliers can fit, test and commission the entire system during a one night shift on one train."

The Welsh Government have now announced funding for a second phase of the project that will see the remainder of the ATW fleet fitted with WiFi, including the 142,143, 153 and 'Gerald' units.

Free wifi will also be made available at the 50 busiest stations within Wales.