Metra Sept. 25, announced plans to install Wi-Fi technology on 10 railcars systemwide as part of a new test program to provide free, onboard Wi-Fi to customers. These railcars will be retrofitted with cellular hot spots before January 2016 to determine whether the technology can provide free and dependable Internet access to customers onboard Metra trains.
“We have explored several ways to provide free Wi-Fi on Metra trains and are committed to doing all we can to get this done for our customers,” said Metra Executive Director/CEO Don Orseno. “If it’s financially feasible and our customers like the level of service this technology can provide, our agency would seek funding or sponsorships to install free Wi-Fi on more of Metra’s railcars.”
The test program is similar to one recently launched by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) on its South Shore Line. Like the NICTD program, this Wi-Fi service would be on a car-by-car basis instead of a full train, and require only onboard communications technology instead of a capital investment along the railroad right-of-way.
The six-month pilot program is expected to cost approximately $35,000. Once the technology is installed, Metra plans to alert customers about the test program and how to identify which railcars will have “hot spots.” The agency will also notify them that there may be dead zones along the route and advise them that streaming video onboard will likely impair service. The agency will also post information on its website about how to provide feedback on the quality of Wi-Fi service.
To further enhance the agency’s customer connectivity options, Metra is also completing installation of charging stations at all five downtown stations and plans to install free Wi-Fi in the waiting areas. The agency anticipates having all of the waiting area hot spots live within 45 days.
Metra has previously issued two requests for proposals asking firms to propose how they could offer free Wi-Fi on trains at no cost to Metra by installing technology on trains and along right-of-way. Neither RFP was successful at identifying a responsible vendor capable of providing free Wi-Fi to Metra customers.
In a 2011 customer survey, about half of Metra customers used a smartphone, and only 11 percent responded that they were willing to pay a fee for onboard Wi-Fi. In 2014, 81 percent of respondents now used a smartphone – up 30 percentage points – and 68 percent indicated that it served their online needs while on the train. Another 34 percent reported using a laptop PC or tablet on the train. Of these, 58 percent were able to access a cellular data network onboard Metra.
The agency is actively searching for a viable Wi-Fi solution that has been difficult to find for most large and complex commuter agencies across the nation. In 2013, Metra also commissioned a study which indicated that installation of Wi-Fi could cost Metra approximately $72 million over a five-year period.
