Do mobile phones work on the subway?

Lauram6123 · Apr 9, 2014

I was wondering if cell phones could get a signal down there in the tunnels.

JoeHill · Apr 9, 2014

Lauram6123 said:
I was wondering if cell phones could get a signal down there in the tunnels.

Mobile phones work in the Moscow metro. Don't ask me why though.

King Neptune · Apr 9, 2014

Some subways and road tunnels have cell phone antennae inside them, but without the equipment cell phones do not work in subways.

asroc · Apr 9, 2014

They do on ours, but the carriers specifically set it up that way. Before they expanded their service the reception was bad to nonexistent.

amergina · Apr 9, 2014

Lauram6123 said:
I was wondering if cell phones could get a signal down there in the tunnels.

Signals from the outside generally don't reach, but they can "wire" a subway for cell phone signals (as it were).

But that's system-specific. You probably need to do some research for the particular subway you're interested in knowing about.

Lauram6123 · Apr 9, 2014

amergina said:
Signals from the outside generally don't reach, but they can "wire" a subway for cell phone signals (as it were).

But that's system-specific. You probably need to do some research for the particular subway you're interested in knowing about.

I'm writing a short story about a generic ride on the subway. I've spent most of my subway riding days in Boston (the T) but I couldn't really remember if cell phones would work in the tunnels.

So since my story takes place in a unnamed city, I guess I just really needed to know if it was even possible for another passenger to be chatting on their cell phone during a ride. It sounds like it would be.

Thanks all who responded so quickly!

JoeHill · Apr 9, 2014

Lauram6123 said:
I'm writing a short story about a generic ride on the subway. I've spent most of my subway riding days in Boston (the T) but I couldn't really remember if cell phones would work in the tunnels.

So since my story takes place in a unnamed city, I guess I just really needed to know if it was even possible for another passenger to be chatting on their cell phone during a ride. It sounds like it would be.

Thanks all who responded so quickly!

Ah, the T is a fine subway system.

Bing Z · Apr 9, 2014

Lauram6123 said:
So since my story takes place in a unnamed city, I guess I just really needed to know if it was even possible for another passenger to be chatting on their cell phone during a ride. It sounds like it would be.

AFAIK, cell phones don't yet work in the New York City subway system (underground stations and tunnels). So anything in your story resembling that system (eg a dude wearing a Yankee cap or a woman carrying a cronut bag) might cause trouble.

cornflake · Apr 9, 2014

Bing Z said:
AFAIK, cell phones don't yet work in the New York City subway system (underground stations and tunnels). So anything in your story resembling that system (eg a dude wearing a Yankee cap or a woman carrying a cronut bag) might cause trouble.

They do in some stations now; the city has been rolling out more and more.

thothguard51 · Apr 9, 2014

My Verizon phone does...

robjvargas · Apr 9, 2014

Chicago had a bid process for carriers to put microcells in the underground portions of its public transit system.

So the answer to a generic question is a big, hardy, "maybe yes, maybe no!"

Quickbread · Apr 9, 2014

In Chicago, you can sometimes get phone reception, depending on where you are underground, but there's no data signal, even on the platforms.

More specifically, yes, I've received calls while underground and reception is fine. Sometimes they get cut off though.

wendymarlowe · Apr 10, 2014

Also worth noting that not all subways actually stay underground. If they're crossing rivers or the like, many sections of subway may come up aboveground for stretches.

(Not to mention the El in Chicago, which is entirely up in the air . . .)

Hilary1 · Apr 13, 2014

From experience, the majority of the time, yes.

L M Ashton · Apr 15, 2014

In Singapore, yes, absolutely, whether the train is above ground or below.

Torgo · Apr 15, 2014

Not on the London Underground - yet. There has been some talk of putting signal repeaters in down there, but I suspect it'd only work in the stations, not the tunnels. We have Wifi in a lot of stations at the moment, so you could conceivably do VOIP calls?

Debbie V · Apr 15, 2014

I've seen folks talking to their phones in NYC stations. Pretty sure I've used mine in Penn, though on the LIRR.

I want to say I've seen folks use phones in Philly too.

Texting may work where calls don't go through. Just a thought.

WeaselFire · Apr 19, 2014

Lauram6123 said:
I was wondering if cell phones could get a signal down there in the tunnels.

Annoyingly, yes.

Jeff

Chris P · Apr 19, 2014

I know they have for about ten years on the DC and Atlanta subways, or at least AT&T did.

ETA: On second thought, I'm not so sure about Atlanta. I can't think of when I'd been on it since I started using a cell phone.

Do mobile phones work on the subway?

Lauram6123

JoeHill

King Neptune

asroc

Alex

amergina

Pittsburgh Strong

Lauram6123

JoeHill

Bing Z

illiterate primate

cornflake

practical experience, FTW

thothguard51

A Gentleman of a refined age...

robjvargas

Quickbread

wendymarlowe

writer, mother, geek

Hilary1

L M Ashton

crazy spec fic writer

Torgo

Formerly Phantom of Krankor.

Debbie V

Mentoring Myself and Others

WeaselFire

Benefactor Member

Chris P

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred