Starting Monday, passengers on seven Amtrak routes to and from Chicago can connect their laptops and mobile devices to free onboard Wi-Fi.
The rail agency hopes the service, known as AmtrakConnect, will be a boon to business passengers and give Amtrak an edge over other transportation providers, a statement from the agency said.
Illinois routes with the new service include the Lincoln Service to Springfield and St. Louis; the Illini Saluki Service to Champaign and Carbondale; and the Illinois Zephyr/Carl Sandburg line to Galesburg and Quincy, according to Amtrak.
Three routes from Chicago to Michigan — the Wolverine Service, Blue Water and Pere Marquette lines — and the Chicago-to-Milwaukee Hiawatha Service, will also offer free Wi-Fi.
“Amtrak trains in Illinois are faster, thanks to our joint commitment to high speed rail,” Gov. Pat Quinn said in a statement announcing the service. “Now, Wi-Fi access on those same trains will make each trip more productive and enjoyable.”
The seven routes through Chicago carried more than 3 million passengers last year, according to ridership data.
AmtrakConnect is already available on Amtrak trains on the East and West coasts, and is a popular option—about 30 percent to 50 percent of passengers on any given train use it, the statement said.
The mobile Wi-Fi network uses bandwidth provided by cellular carriers with towers near Amtrak’s routes, and uses 4G networks where possible, Amtrak said.
There are some drawbacks: Amtrak’s Wi-Fi blocks access to data-heavy streaming video and music; limits file downloads to 10MB; and restricts access to websites with objectionable content.
via WiFiNovation | Scoop.it
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire