Wi-Fi
now Available on Acela Express and in Select Stations Along NEC
In response to customer demand for wireless Internet
access aboard trains, Amtrak is now providing Wi-Fi® service on its
Acela Express trains and in select stations along the NEC. Where
available, and during the launch period, the service is free of charge
to all in-station and Acela Express passengers.
“Amtrak’s customers have been asking for this service,
and we’re excited to respond with both an on-board offering as well as
one in our major stations,” said Matt Hardison, Chief, Sales
Distribution and Customer Service.
In the past, passengers were only able to access the
Internet using a cellular air card or smart telephone with web
capabilities. However, these options are not ideal because users must
rely on one carrier’s coverage along the route, and they must be able
to receive a consistent cellular signal inside the train. Further,
smart phone browsers are often unable to render a significant number
of commonly accessed web pages.
The new on-board Wi-Fi system delivers a more
consistent experience by capitalizing on coverage from multiple
cellular sources, delivering the bandwidth through a single,
full-train network. The system is also upgradeable and capable of
integrating bandwidth from other resources, including Wi-Fi that is
external to the train and WiMAX, the next generation Wi-Fi technology
that can be accessed over longer distances and deliver higher
bandwidth.
“Passengers can expect almost continuous connectivity,
even in locations where cellular availability would typically be slow
or intermittent,” according to Lenetta McCampbell, Senior Director,
On-Board Systems and Wi-Fi Program Manager.
After extensive testing of alternative technologies
and a competitive bid process, Amtrak selected the Virginia Beach,
Va.-based GBS Group and its partner Nomad Digital to deploy Wi-Fi on
Acela Express. The introduction of on-board Wi-Fi is only the start of
a larger on-board technology program that involves the support of key
elements across the company, including Mechanical, Engineering,
Information Technology and Transportation.
“Over the next two years, we want to expand into
automated on-board announcements, entertainment, moving maps, news and
weather,” said Emmett Fremaux, Vice President, Marketing and Product
Development. “This is really just the first step to deliver more and
better service to our customers — customers who’ve become increasingly
interested in support for their electronics.”
According to a recent report, portable technology is
transforming the way Americans travel. A survey, conducted by the
DePaul University Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development last
December, measured the use of portable electronic technology by
travelers on intercity trains, airplanes and buses, and found that
Acela Express travelers are among the heaviest users of portable
technology, like laptops, while bus riders are more inclined to engage
in audio activities, like cell phones and digital music players.
“Usage on the train is much different, with users of
visually oriented technologies, such as those involving laptop
computers and other devices with LCD screens, outnumbering audio users
by more than two-to-one,” read the survey report. “These and other
findings suggests that the ability to use portable electronics is an
important factor … providing a new incentive for travelers to use
transportation services that operate to and from the downtown
districts of major cities.”
The report also noted the natural advantages that
passenger rail has over airlines with respect to technology use,
including continuous use throughout a trip, spacious coach
configuration that is conducive to laptop use and widely available
on-board power outlets.
The in-station Amtrak locations for Wi-Fi, which will
be activated concurrently with the launch of on-board Wi-Fi, includes
Washington Union Station, Baltimore Penn Station, Philadelphia 30th
Street Station, New York Penn Station and Providence Station. Amtrak
already offers free Wi-Fi in all ClubAcela locations as well as the
Metropolitan Lounge at Chicago Union Station.
Another contractor, ICG, is also installing Wi-Fi on
Surfliner trains in California where Amtrak plans to test their
alternative technology.
