Amtrak, the national railroad service, has already seen fit to offer onboard, free wi-fi Internet access for passengers. After all, even on its high-speed trains there is no better way to fight the boredom of the tracks and to remain productively at work than whiling away the time on a laptop computer, tablet or smartphone.
As technology marches onwards, wireless Internet access made available to passengers aboard commercial airplanes and ships is expanding, as its provision has become a selling feature to customers who have come to expect this valuable amenity. The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) continued relaxation of rules governing use of electronic devices in flight has helped push this along.
But for train-riding landlubbers, wi-fi access is plodding along. Not the installation of equipment, the speed of the service itself. What was originally rated as 10Mbps, already not an imposing figure, in practice runs much slower.
However, Amtrak is now requisitioning bids to upgrade their free onboard wi-fi on trains running in its Northeast Corridor (NEC), which runs between Boston and Washington, D.C. The plan is to beef up Amtrak's trackside wireless network, both in capacity and coverage area, to provide access speeds more, well, up to speed.
The goal is to provide up to a minimum bandwidth of 25Mbps and to increase its availability along the length and breadth of the 457-mile NEC. The new network must also meet future plans to upgrade service and speed as technology develops.
Outside of the NEC, Amtrak claims that free basic AmtrakConnect wi-fi service is already available throughout the country, recently adding several Midwestern states to the roster. Amtrak now claims that 85% of their ridership enjoys onboard wi-fi.
Amtrak is pretty upfront about the current deficiencies in their wi-fi coverage, though. They acknowledge that the service has its limitations, and 'to ensure there is enough bandwidth for all of our onboard users, this free amenity supports general web browsing activities only. Our wi-fi does not support high-bandwidth actions such as streaming music, streaming video or downloading large files.'
Their wi-fi service extends to platforms and stations in many cities. Some of this service is provided by carriers other than Amtrak. Riders should be on the lookout for instructions on accessing these networks when they are not on the train.
They also provide the disclaimer that their wi-fi network is currently dependent on bandwidth provided by cellular carriers who have towers along Amtrak's routes. So there's that. The plan to upgrade Amtrak's own network is also designed to reduce or eliminate this dependence.
