evo-rail Survey Links Improved On-Train Connectivity to Increased Passenger Satisfaction and Ridership

The survey, conducted by Ipsos, included passengers across the U.S., UK, Spain, and Germany

WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–evo-rail, a leading provider of rail technology solutions, today released the results of a new survey that found in a scenario about train travel there was a correlation between passengers’ access to a fast, reliable, and free onboard¹ Wi-Fi connection and the likelihood to consider travelling by train rather than other modes of transport. The survey, conducted in November 2022 by Ipsos, included a total sample of 2,219 adults 16-75 in the UK, 2,191 adults 16-65 in Spain, 2,187 adults 16-75 in Germany, and 2,118 adults aged 18-75 in the US with an additional boost of 500 US adults that travelled by train in the past 12 months (train users). The Survey aimed to understand how improved on-train internet connectivity, specifically fast, reliable, and free onboard Wi-Fi, could impact passengers’ travel decisions.

Respondents were asked to imagine a scenario where a train company would provide a fast, reliable, and free onboard Wi-Fi for passengers travelling on their train. Subsequently, respondents were asked if having a fast, reliable, and free onboard Wi-Fi would make them more likely to consider traveling by train for journeys they were planning on travelling by another mode of transport.

Key findings from the survey include:

• Nearly 6 in 10 (59%) American adults were more likely to consider travelling by train in the scenario that a train company would provide a fast, reliable, and free onboard Wi-Fi. This finding was consistent with the other countries surveyed, where 67% of adults in Spain, 41% in Germany, and 38% in the UK reported the same. Among those who travelled by train in the past 12 months, the proportion of those more likely to consider travelling by train increased significantly across all countries, with 89% in the U.S., 73% in Spain, 50% in Germany, and 43% in the UK.
• U.S. train users (77%) were also likely to consider travelling by train rather than another mode of transport for leisure trips² in the scenario of the train company providing fast, reliable, and free onboard Wi-Fi. About a third of respondents reported they would consider travelling by train rather than another mode of transport for business trips³ (33%) and commuting to work (27%).
• U.S. train users would travel by train more often in the future if the onboard Wi-Fi allowed them to listen to online music services⁴ (64%), stream HD videos⁵ (62%), use social media (62%), access emails (58%), and play online games (54%) during their journey.

evo-rail believes that poor mobile connectivity remains a limiting factor for passengers travelling by rail, restricting productivity, lowering satisfaction, and leading to lower ridership levels. “The Ipsos survey findings support what we have long believed – that improved on-train connectivity is a game-changer for passengers, but it must be truly ‘fast’ to meet the latent demand. This means guaranteed coverage and at upwards of a gigabit of direct internet capacity,” said Simon Holmes, CEO of evo-rail. “evo-rail’s rail-5G solution, designed specifically for railways, not only provides that guaranteed coverage and internet throughput, but also delivers the enhanced customer experience passengers have long awaited. evo-rail was born from a huge railway operator, so we understand that guarantees of coverage and capacity can neither be delivered or afforded through mobile data, this is why we developed our rail-5G solution to meet customer demand for the first time.”

Rail-5G enables passengers on rail to access over 1GB of continuous connectivity, providing a similar, if not better, connected experience than at home or work. To learn more about this study, evo-rail and the rail-5G solution, visit www.evo-rail.com.

Technical note:

• Ipsos interviewed a representative quota sample of 2219 adults 16-75 in the UK, 2191 adults 16-65 in Spain, 2187 adults 16-75 in Germany, and 2118 adults aged 18-75 in the US with an additional boost of 500 US adults that travelled by train in the past 12 months. Interviews took place on the online Omnibus 18th-23rd November 2022. Data has been weighted to the known offline population proportions.
• Train users in the past 12 months: 1191 adults 16-75 in the UK, 1142 adults 16-65 in Spain, 1058 adults 16-75 in Germany, 771 adults aged 18-75 in the US (from main and boost sample).

About evo-rail

evo-rail is a rail technology company, formed out of FirstGroup, which has designed a multi-gigabit rail-5G solution to address the lack of mobile coverage on our railways. The company deliver the end-to-end solution of trackside and train that will greatly improve customer connectivity. With rail-5G, passengers will have a similar, if not better, connected experience than they do at home or work.

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1</sup> A description of onboard Wi-Fi was provided on the questionnaire: By onboard Wi-Fi, we mean any Wi-Fi provided by the train company itself while travelling, not your own mobile data/internet.

² Leisure trips: e.g., visiting a location for a day out, short or long stay to visit friends and family, visiting attractions, sights and facilities, shopping, etc.

³ Business trips: e.g., travelling to a different branch of your company, or to a different location to meet suppliers or business partners, travelling for a conference or business event, etc.

⁴ e.g. Spotify, Apple Music etc.

⁵ e.g. a film, live sports, etc.

Contacts

media@evo-rail.com