Being an Internet Junkie, (and also a railfan), one thing that has always bothered me when I am preparing for a long journey by train is whether I would get continuous Internet access over the course of the trip. Keeping my battery charged has somewhat been taken care of as I already have a battery pack – and most trains today usually have charging ports (albeit you might have issues coming across a functional one).
Anyway, until now, you were on your own when it came to seamless Internet connectivity whilst on the move. And god forbid your train passes through some remote, desolate location you were usually left with very flaky Internet connectivity or at times, none at all.
That was until now. The Indian Railways has started offering on board Wi-Fi facility on the Howrah – New Delhi Rajdhani Express and plans to extend the service to a bunch of other premium Rajdhani/ Shatabdi and Duronto class trains this very year. The on board Wi-Fi will provide unlimited Internet access to the passengers from the start till the end of their journey. The Government has spent over 6.30 crore on setting up this functionality on the train.
The Howrah Rajdhani has earned the distinction of being the first train to get this on board Internet facility in India. Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal had inaugurated the service as part of a pilot project. To provide seamless connectivity across difficult and desolate terrain, the Railways decided and homed in on a satellite communication link to the train instead of opting for other terrestrial means.
The best part? This service is currently being offered free. And you can expect download speeds of of up to 4 mbps and upload speeds of around 512 Kbps. As of now, what is known is that for bonafide passengers wishing to use the service would be required to register for the access by providing the railways with their PNR number as well as their contact number. The Railways, upon validation of the details wills send them details regarding an user name and password for Internet access in an SMS.
Would you be interested in using this Wi-Fi facility on trains? Or do you think the Railways should have spent tits money on other important facets of the railways?
