90 days to Mainline and free wifi!

With just 90 days to go until the much anticipated launch of the Chiltern Railways Mainline service on 5 September 2011, bringing 90 minute trains between Birmingham and London, Chiltern Railways have announced that from launch Mainline services will offer free wi-fi for all customers.

 

The provision of free wi-fi is a first for a franchised rail operator and will be warmly welcomed in the current economic climate when many businesses are feeling the pinch. Between now and September, all trains used on the Mainline service will be fitted with state of the art wifi equipment from leading Swedish supplier Icomera AB.  At the heart of each on-train system is the Icomera X6 router, which uses patented SureWANTM software to seamlessly combine multiple mobile networks along the Chiltern Mainline route to deliver both superior coverage and bandwidth for users onboard. The system is also ready to take advantage of super fast next-generation LTE mobile networks when these start going live two years from now.

 

Unlike many hotels, restaurants and other train companies, Chiltern Railways will not be levying any charges for use of onboard wi-fi. This announcement - combined with significantly reduced journey times along the Chiltern route - makes Mainline the smart choice for anyone travelling on business between Britain’s first and second cities.

 

Thomas Ableman, Director of Chiltern Railways said:  “We believe that the business community in Birmingham deserve good value, fast travel into London and we want to make travelling with us the only option that makes business sense.  In this digital age, it is crucial to remain connected to the internet for work or pleasure and critically we believe that you shouldn’t have to pay a supplement for it.  We’re delighted to announce this first for a franchised rail operator which means that all our Mainline customers will be able to make more of their time onboard using our free wi-fi to read emails, work, browse the internet or even do the weekly shop.” 

 

When the Chiltern Railways  Mainline service launches on September 5th, services will run every thirty minutes, with the fastest trains reaching the capital in just 90 minutes. The combination of free wi-fi, faster services, great value fares and spacious, comfortable trains means that these services will be a big hit with business travellers currently reliant on the expensive and crowded services from Birmingham New Street to Euston.  In addition to much shorter journey times, several peak services on the Chiltern Mainline will use “intercity” style trains offering a business-focused travel experience with trains designed to make working on the move a pleasure. 

 

Bernard Shepherd, a consultant at Gateley in Birmingham’s city centre said: “I will certainly be using the new Chiltern Railways Mainline service from Moor Street into London from September. Chiltern are on the right track offering business users a faster service into London along with excellent benefits like free wi-fi. This is fantastic news for Birmingham and the West Midlands”

 

Andrew Lancaster, President of the Birmingham Law Society said: “ We have worked with Chiltern Railways for many years and always found their rail service fantastic value for money and very reliable. We are delighted that they will be offering a faster service into London from September with the introduction of the Chiltern Mainline. This is great news for our members and our vibrant business community in Birmingham and the surrounding regions.'

 

The faster journey times are made possible by a £250 million investment to upgrade the rail route from Moor Street station in the heart of Birmingham to Marylebone station in central London. Birmingham’s Moor Street Station has recently been transformed through a £25m renovation and is now an oasis of calm in the centre of Birmingham adjacent to the Bullring shopping centre.  

 

In addition to peak time 90 minute trains, the entire timetable has been redesigned to make maximum use of the upgraded infrastructure to make travelling as convenient as possible for customers.  Journey times for fast trains throughout the day will be reduced from around 2hrs 5 mins to just 1hr 40mins and trains will stop at fewer stations en-route, with many running non-stop between Banbury and London.

 

The Mainline service will also call at Solihull station in south Birmingham, which was taken under Chiltern Railways ownership last year as part of the preparation for Mainline.  Solihull station is accessible from much of the south Birmingham area, and will have a fastest peak journey time to London Marylebone of just 1hr 21 minutes.  Throughout the day, fast trains will take just 1hr 30 minutes.

 

For car drivers, the easiest station to access the Mainline service will often be Warwick Parkway.  This is a dedicated park-and-ride hub, opened 10 years ago specifically to provide a fast link to London from the M40 motorway.  Located adjacent to junction 15, this station will have non-stop trains to London for the first time, with the fastest taking just 1hr 10 minutes.  Leamington Spa station nearby will also benefit from journey times of 69 minutes.

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