The Hornsby to Wyong rail corridor winds through more than 65km of challenging terrain, including several tunnels, hills and valleys creating mobile coverage black spots.
The Federal Government has invested $12M, with an extra $4M contributed by the NSW Government and $13M from Telstra to stamp out mobile black spots along the train line, and provide free Wi-Fi.
Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, Paul Fletcher, joined Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks, on a train ride from Gosford to Woy Woy on December 17 and said the project is now more than 90 per cent complete, with three remaining sites, at Point Clare, Cowan and Brooklyn, 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,” Fletcher said.
Wicks 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,” she said.
“This latest project milestone will deliver improved connectivity and reduce the interruption to commuters’ busy lives.
Telstra Group Head, Networks and IT, Nikos Katinakis, said the company was delighted to have partnered with the Federal and State Governments to deliver much greater connectivity for Coast commuters.
To find out which stations have free Wi-Fi and how to access it, go to the Transport NSW website.
Source:
Media release, Dec 17
Member for Robertson,
Lucy Wicks