Sky’s the Limit for Some Scottish Passengers

As satellite-delivered broadband to trains continues to spread across the globe, Scotland, one of the first countries to test the system, has received another boost. Passengers on some services trundling up and down the West Highland Line will soon benefit from reliable broadband connectivity thanks to a new satellite communications trial backed by the UK Government.

Global IT giant CGI, is fitting out a ScotRail train with advanced satellite communications equipment. The move is set to bring reliable passenger WiFi services to one of the most remote and inaccessible lines in the UK.

The project, known as SODOR or Satellites for Digitalisation of Railways (not to be confused with Sodor, the fictional island setting of the Thomas the Tank Engine books), is among several sharing £13 million of UK Space Agency funding. The money is being delivered from the European Space Agency's Advanced Research in Telecommunication Systems (ARTES) programme.

UK Government Space Minister Liz Lloyd said: “The West Highland Line is one of Scotland’s most iconic rail routes, but for too long passengers and communities along it have had to put up with poor or no connectivity. From November, passengers will benefit from the use of satellite technology in this trial to solve a real problem in one of the UK’s most remote and beautiful places.”

Some readers may remember one of the most remote stations on the line featuring in the film Trainspotting when Mark Renton delivers his famous take on what it’s really like to be Scottish. It is not clear if his spiel would have been less negative if decent broadband had been available.

The additional funding of £428,000 from the UK Space Agency means that the SODOR project will have received over £4 million in total.

Dr Jaime Reed, Vice President Space Data Platforms and Applications at CGI in the UK and Australia, said: “SODOR will demonstrate how satellite communications can transform connectivity on some of the UK's most remote rail routes, delivering tangible benefits for passengers, rail operators and the communities they serve.

Last year, ScotRail, backed by Scottish Futures Trust, ran a six-month trial of satellite-delivered broadband to six Class 158 trains on the most northerly parts of its network. The satellite services in the pilot project were supplied by Elon Musk’s Starlink system in conjunction with Bathgate-based Clarus Networks.

ScotRail itself recently announced plans to work with Nomad Digital to introduce satellite delivered on-train WiFi on 22 refurbished Class 222 Meridians from early 2027. The trains will run on routes between Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Perth, Dundee and Inverness. It is not clear whether the new services will be delivered by Starlink or Eutelsat.

The spread of on-board WiFi services, trackside wireless delivery and the increasing use of LEO satellites to boost connectivity will all be fully discussed at this year’s WiFi on Trains Conference, hosted by BWCS in London (www.Traincomms.com ).

The Main Sponsors for Traincomms 2026 are Icomera, Huber+Suhner and Nomad Digital. Westermo, Hughes Europe, CGI, Unwired and Eutelsat are also Sponsoring the Conference. Antonics is an Expo Sponsor.

Tickets to attend the Conference are available now via http://traincomms.com/book1.cfm

For more information on attending this year’s Conference please contact [email protected]

The full programme for the 2026 Traincomms Conference can be reserved here: https://www.traincomms.com/#content2b

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