The penultimate stage of the Central Coast Trains project is now complete, providing improved mobile coverage to thousands of commuters on the Central Coast and Newcastle Line, and free Wi-Fi at 19 stations.
The Hornsby to Wyong rail corridor winds through more than 65 kilometres of challenging terrain, including several tunnels, hills and valleys creating mobile coverage black spots.
The Australian Government has invested $12 million to the project, with an extra $4 million contribution from the NSW Government and $13 million from Telstra to stamp out mobile black spots along the train line, and provide free Wi-Fi.
Speaking today at Gosford Station, Federal Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said the project is now more than 90 per cent complete, with the remaining three sites due to switch on in the first quarter of 2021.
"The Central Coast Trains project is delivering continuous mobile coverage to more than 30,000 people commuting between Sydney and the Central Coast each day, increasing the productivity of daily commuters and allowing them to work remotely or connect with family and friends," Minister Fletcher said.
Federal Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks MP, said the project is delivering clear and immediate benefits to commuters.
"With more people returning to their usual workplaces, providing reliable access to communication services along this train route is vital. This latest project milestone will deliver improved connectivity and reduce the interruption to commuters' busy lives," Mrs Wicks said.
Nikos Katinakis, Telstra's Group Executive Networks & IT said, "Telstra is delighted to have partnered with the Federal and State Governments to deliver much greater connectivity for thousands of commuters along the Central Coast rail line"
To find out which stations have free Wi-Fi and how to access it, go to the Transport NSW website.
