Arriva’s joint venture rail business LOROL is providing passengers with Wi-Fi access at 50 stations on the London Overground network.

The service, from Wi-Fi provider The Cloud, is free for the first 60 minutes at each station and enables passengers to use their mobile devices to browse the internet, use social networks and get free, real-time travel information from Transport for London (TfL).

The final seven stations on the London Overground network will be connected by the end of June.

Peter Austin, managing director of LOROL, which delivers London Overground services on behalf of TfL, signed the contract with The Cloud.

Peter said: “We are always looking for ways to make the London Overground even more convenient than it already is and believe the introduction of free Wi-Fi can only improve and enhance our passenger journeys.

“It complements the modern commuting railway service we already offer and is also fitting for what is one of the best performing railways in the UK.”

Vince Russell, managing director at The Cloud, said: “London Overground stations are a hive of activity for people travelling in and out of London.

“This is especially true of workers commuting into the city.

“For these people, the ability to check emails or perhaps access work documents on the go is vital.

‘Relying on 3G or 4G connection in locations where network traffic comes in peaks means that passengers are sometimes left frustrated at slow connection times during busier periods.

“We’re delighted to be working with London Overground to provide this service which will offer a fast, reliable internet connection to people as they wait for their trains.”

Howard Smith, chief rail operating officer for TfL London Rail, which manages the London Overground service, said: “We have modernised many areas of London Overground - the train fleet, the stations and the signalling. It is now one of the best performing railways in the UK.

“TfL supports the introduction of this new facility as we see direct communications between passengers as perfectly complementing our own information services.

“In recent years the value of passenger-to-passenger communication during service disruptions has been well demonstrated and we are happy to further enable and support that phenomenon as an enhancement to our modern, 21st century railway in the capital.”

London Overground passengers can have 60 minutes free internet access each day, at each station, through a one-time registration process.

Major stations on the network now Wi-Fi-enabled include:

• North London: Willesden Junction and West Hampstead
• South London: New Cross Gate, Forest Hill, West Croydon and Norwood Junction
• East London: Surrey Quays, Dalston, Wapping and Hackney Central
• West London: Kensington Olympia and Shepherd’s Bush