The demands from both private and business customers have increased dramatically, says Johan Sagnert, product and concept manager at SJ.
Customers expect to always be connected, even when they travel by train, he notes.
Since August, satellite connectivity has been tested on one of the SJ 3000 trains. Starting next summer, the rest of that part of SJ's train fleet will receive the same equipment, a work that is expected to be completed in 2027.
In total, there are 20 SJ 3000 trains, which currently mainly run on the Gothenburg–Malmö, Stockholm–Sundsvall and Stockholm–Oslo routes.
Similar pilot projects are underway in several places around the world, but SJ believes it is the first to make such an investment in an entire fleet of passenger trains on electrified railways.
On these trains we will have both mobile networks and satellite to have as stable a connection as possible. What we are primarily solving is eliminating these blind spots.
However, satellite connectivity does not work in tunnels. Collaboration is underway with mobile operators and the Swedish Transport Administration, which owns the tunnels, to improve mobile coverage in them.
Work on improving coverage for train passengers has been ongoing for several years. Train windows have already been replaced with radio-transparent windows and, in parallel, the 5G network is being expanded along the southern and western main line.
