Indian Railways rolls out Wi-Fi facility in moving trains

NEW DELHI, INDIA: The Railway Ministry is trying to address the problem of low internet connectivity. Railway Minister, Pawan Kumar Bansal launched Wi-Fi- facility as a pilot project on Howrah Rajdhani Express on Tuesday.

Internet access in moving trains has been a technological challenge, considering that the train passes through all type of terrain. After due deliberations on various options for providing internet access, Indian Railways decided for satellite communication link to the train and Wi-Fi connectivity to different coaches.

The Indian Railways has finally launched the pilot project on Howrah Rajdhani express in both the directions simultaneously at Howrah and New Delhi respectively.

The facility is being given to the passengers free of cost. "The facility is being introduced for the first time on Indian Railways through state-of-the-art Technology at a total cost of Rs. 6.30 crore covering all the three rakes of Howrah Rajdhani Express," according to an official release.

As per the release issued by the Ministry of Railways, "The satellite communication link is arranged through satellite hub facility, set up by Indian Railways. Initially, 4 Mbps download bandwidth and 512 Kbps upload bandwidth is earmarked for internet facility in moving train."

"The satellite antenna is placed in one of the two Power Cars of the rake. This is linked through Wi-Fi radios provided outside of each coach. This is further distributed inside the coaches through indoor access point. This will help passengers of the Rajdhani Express train to access internet during their journey," the release added.

Passengers can access Indian Railway Wi-Fi network to avail internet facility in moving trains. The passengers will be able to register by providing the PNR and other details like mobile number etc.

On validation of the data entered by the passengers, as per extant DOT guidelines, the Login ID and Password will be sent through SMS to the registered mobile number. The Login ID and Password will remain valid for entire journey.

Very soon, the Indian Railways will extend this service on other Rajdhani/Shatabdi/Duronto express trains progressively based on customer feedback and acceptance.