To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that railway franchise holders improve mobile phone signal coverage on trains.

The Department recognises the importance of providing mobile connectivity for rail passengers and has sought improvements when franchises are renewed. In both the new East Midlands and West Coast Partnership franchises, the operators have committed to improving mobile connectivity for their passengers on trains and at stations. Beyond these franchises, we continue to seek other opportunities to enhance mobile connectivity across the rail network. In particular, the Department has been working with Ofcom, Network Rail and others to improve the data available about mobile phone signals along rail corridors so that operators can take this into account. This was published by Ofcom in December 2019.