A journey for me to London usually falls into two categories. I either take a “cheap” train which takes a couple of hours, stops at places I’ve never heard of and has no on-board “booster” so the signal on your phone is totally pants. If, however, I pay a bit more, I can go on a Virgin Pendolino and get there a whole lot quicker – plus I can get WiFi and a decent mobile signal too.
Now, on the West Coast route and soon on the East Coast route, you’ll be able to get entertainment on the go via the new Virgin “Beam” app. It’s available via iTunes and Google Play and, when you hook it onto the on-board WiFi, you’ll get a “Netflix-style” movie and TV system which will make your journey zoom by.
The library includes 200 hours of content and can be viewed on your smartphone or tablet. This system is similar to the Monarch Airlines system that we tried out. Movies include Bridesmaids, Despicable Me 2 and TV shows include Poldark and House of Cards. There’s also kids shows.
Let’s just hope everyone remembers a portable charger, because streaming over WiFi is going to nail your battery.