On Monday 16th June 2025, the England’s Connected Heartland (ECH) programme hosted a landmark event at Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, showcasing the power and potential of high-speed 5G connectivity for the future of rail.
This private demonstration marked a major step forward in the progress of the 5G Railway project, a pilot project to deploy a managed, standalone 5G Mobile Private Network along the Bicester–Bletchley section of East West Rail (EWR).
The 5G Railway project is about providing seamless, high-speed internet access for passengers on the move, reliable digital tools and communications for train operating companies, and improved digital inclusion for rural trackside neighbours with limited connectivity. The 5G private network has the potential to make a real difference to those people living and working alongside East West Rail, and 16,000 trackside properties are currently in the scope of the project.
Image shows onboard applications of the connectivity for passengers and train operating companies – click to enlarge.
L to R: Lloyd Little, Senior Programme Officer (Digital), Buckinghamshire Council; Trish Etheridge, Principal Project Manager – Capital, Central Bedfordshire Council; Reece Simmons, Project Manager, Spirit Public Sector; Laura Peacock, Head of Innovation, Oxfordshire County Council; Claire Phillips, Head of Economic Strategy, Buckinghamshire County Council; Rosie Hayes, Senior Communications Lead, Oxfordshire County Council; Anna Miles, Project Manager, Oxfordshire County Council; Craig Bower, Digital Infrastructure Programme and ECH Director, Oxfordshire County Council; behind Craig, Paul Senior, Technical Lead, Airspan; Guy Middleton, Commercial Lead, Spirit Public Sector; behind Guy, Paul Spence, Technical Consultant, Spirit Public Sector.
While the ECH solution is not suitable for every UK railway, it will suit the EWR route, and the solution is ready to scale across similar regional and national corridors. The project will enable 6x C196 trains with the new 5G network, which are currently using 4G.
Our team is actively seeking opportunities to scale the network by densifying the network between Bicester and Bletchley to achieve even better coverage and capacity. We are planning to extend the 5G private network from Oxford to Bicester and Bletchley to Milton Keynes and Bedford, creating complete coverage along one ticketed journey, and preparing to provide coverage when the line to Cambridge is developed.
By building a scalable and future-proof infrastructure, the project supports a more connected, equitable, and digitally enabled transport network—laying the groundwork for smarter, more inclusive mobility across the region.
Real-world testing: 3 weeks of high-speed validation
The Millbrook event was the culmination of a three-week testing campaign that ran from 27th May to 13th June 2025. During this period, the 5G Railway project completed its high-speed testing phase at Millbrook.
A purpose-built, micro 5G private network was deployed along Millbrook’s Mile Straight—designed as a scaled-down version of the full network that will be constructed along the East West Rail line. An electric vehicle was fitted with train-top antennas and an in-train modem provided by Icomera, replicating the connectivity setup of a modern train.
Behind-the-scenes look at the 5G test setup on the vehicle.
Our team observed live vehicle-based performance verification as the car, simulating a train, navigated the 5G network by driving down the Millbrook Mile Straight at varying speeds to complete a range of test scenarios.
Google Earth image shows Millbrook site from above with a red line highlighting the Mile Straight.
Over the course of the testing period, the team completed more than 650 miles of high-speed runs, capturing performance data across a variety of real-world scenarios. This rigorous process allowed the project team to measure how the 5G private network performed under conditions that closely mirror actual rail operations.
The results were impressive: throughput (the speed at which data is transferred from the private 5G network to the train or test vehicle while it’s moving at high speed) consistently exceeded 500 Mbps – a significant leap from the 60 Mbps UK public networks typically achieve. This clearly demonstrates the performance potential and capacity benefits of a private 5G solution in high-speed railway environments.
The testing was a collaborative effort involving multiple partners and will directly inform the final design and deployment of the 5G network along East West Rail. Exit reports from the testing are currently in development and will provide further insights into the system’s capabilities and readiness.
This is the first phase of dynamic testing, and further testing will take place on the trains.
Event highlights
The Millbrook event brought together key partners, stakeholders, and technology leaders to witness the live demonstration of this cutting-edge solution. The day featured presentations from:
- Craig Bower, Digital Infrastructure Programme Director, Oxfordshire County Council
- Ian Vernon, Chief Operating Officer, AWTG
- Paul Senior, representing Airspan
- Ashley Dunn, Technical Sales & Key Account Manager, Icomera; and Damien Convert, Chief Commercial Officer, Icomera
Craig Bower, Director of Oxfordshire County Council’s Digital Infrastructure Programme and the ECH programme welcomes attendees at the event.
Speakers from our delivery partners AWTG and Icomera presenting the project vision.
Partner perspectives
The event was a celebration of collaboration, and our partners shared their reflections:
“It was fantastic to see successful test and demonstration at Millbrook for the high-speed 5G solution provided by AWTG to England’s Connected Heartland. We’re really proud to have supported the programme and played a key part in taking a major step forward for connected transport, rail and trackside neighbour connectivity services. Huge thanks to DSIT, Oxfordshire County Council, and all the partners—we’re very excited for the collaboration and what’s next.”
—Abbey Alidoosti, Chief Executive Officer, AWTG
“Enhanced wi-fi connectivity perfectly complements East West Rail’s primary objectives of boosting connectivity and economic growth, so it was great to see this cutting-edge 5G technology under test in Bedfordshire. When it’s rolled out, this exciting project will provide a better passenger experience for customers using EWR services between Bicester and Bletchley, and also for lineside neighbours in more rural areas who have previously struggled to get good wi-fi connectivity – this could be a game changing solution for parts of the national railway network.”
— Natalie Wheble, External Affairs Director, East West Railway Company
“The Millbrook demonstration showed that Icomera’s mobile hybrid connectivity platform seamlessly combines private 5G, public cellular, and satellite links to deliver multi-hundred-megabit speeds to a fast-moving vehicle. If the network is there, we can use it. Tested at speeds that mirror trains in service, this resilient, future-ready digital backbone can transform passenger experience and rail operations along East West Rail and other regional lines.”
— Ashley Dunn, Technical Sales and Key Account Manager, Icomera
For more information about the benefits of 5G for the Rail industry, visit our page about the benefits of 5G and scroll down to the relevant heading.