Neos Networks has installed the first ultrafast fibre cables that will form a network of at least 1,000km along the UK’s major rail arteries. The project is intended to not only bring an end to mobile signal blackspots on the rail network itself, but also to provide a futureproof ‘digital backbone’ for further connectivity requirements.
Neos Networks CEO Lee Myall said that, while technologies and infrastructure such as AI, cloud computing and data centres grab the headlines, they all rely on fibre for connectivity. “Without it, the UK’s digital ambitions simply can’t be realised. Project Reach is how we make sure the UK stays globally competitive for decades to come,” he added.
The connectivity provider, which already operates a fibreoptic network spanning 34,000km, 550 exchanges, more than 90 data centres and 600-plus Points of Presence (PoPs), was chosen by Network Rail in June to deliver Project Reach. The government described the project as a ground-breaking public-private partnership. Beyond the fibre connections, wireless infrastructure provider Freshwave will tackle signal blackspots in more than 50 tunnels, including the four-kilometre-long Chipping Sodbury tunnel near Bristol. Mobile network operators will also invest in new 4G/5G infrastructure at 12 of the biggest Network Rail stations across the country.
Project is biggest upgrade to rail telecoms network in decades
The overall project has been described as the biggest upgrade to Britain’s rail telecoms infrastructure in decades. The fibreoptic networks currently deployed on the railway network use 24- and 48-count cable, which is similar to that used underneath residential streets. The new network will have a hugely boosted capacity via Neos Networks’ 432-core high-count cable. Network Rail will use half of this increased capacity, while Neos Networks will commercialise the other half.
More than 40 specialists worked in tight overnight windows to carry out the first phase of the project without disrupting rail passenger services. This meant closely collaborating with Network Rail and engineering company AmcoGiffen to plan and coordinate the fibre pull – a method for installing fibreoptic cable involving physically pulling the cable through a conduit.
Harriet Hepburn, corporate finance, partnerships and retail director at Network Rail, said that the milestone highlighted how collaboration between the public and private sectors can “deliver tangible national benefits”. She added that Project Reach was “modernising Britain’s rail communications while laying the foundation for the next phase of digital growth in the UK”.
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