8 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

Daily Herald, Arlington Heights, IL, 9/26/15:

 

Metra to test free wireless internet on 10 cars

 

Metro Chicago's commuter rail agency plans to offer free wireless internet to passengers on 10 cars to test whether to offer the service system-wide.

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[KevinKorell]

Daily Herald, Arlington Heights, IL, 9/25/15:

 

Why you might have Wi-Fi on your Metra train soon

 

Rejoice cautiously, smartphone users -- Metra is inching toward a Wi-Fi solution with a pilot program on 10 rail cars debuting later this year.

 

The railroad has talked about offering Wi-Fi for at least four years but logistical and cost roadblocks keep cropping up.

 

Read

[CNJRoss]

Metra news release:

 

Metra to test Wi-Fi on 10 cars systemwide

Wi-Fi at downtown station waiting areas to be available within 45 days

 

(Sept. 25, 2015) – Metra today 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

[CNJRoss]

Chicago Tribune, 1/21:
 

Wi-Fi popping up on select Metra cars to help gauge rider interest

 

Some Metra riders may have recently noticed a new Wi-Fi connection pop up on their phones and other mobile devices during their commute.

 

Metra began installing cellular "hot spots" on a select group of cars, some of which have been put back in service, within the past month, Metra spokesman Michael Gillis said. It's part of an 11-car test run Metra announced last fall.

 

In the next few weeks, the transit agency will finish installing the service and add signs alerting riders to the cars with the amenity, Gillis said. Work is complete on 10 cars, but not all are in use, he said. Upon completion, one car per Metra's 11 lines will be designated a Wi-Fi car with a sign, and rider feedback will be encouraged.

 

After six months testing the service, Metra will decide whether expanding Wi-Fi to more cars is financially feasible, and if it's something riders want, Gillis said.

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

Next City, Philadelphia, PA 1/22:
 

Chicago Metra Riders Testing WiFi on Trains

 

WiFi-enabled cars are rolling out to each of Metra’s 11 lines in the Chicago metro area, the Chicago Tribune reports.

 

SNIP

 

A DePaul University study from last year suggested that passengers will be pleased. Researchers observed 44 percent of Metra riders performing “sophisticated visual tasks” on mobile devices — tasks like texting or watching videos. By installing WiFi, Metra has an opportunity not just to satisfy existing riders who would save on smartphone data usage, but also to attract new ones.

 

More here.

[CNJRoss]

Metro Magazine, 2'22:
 

Metra testing free Wi-Fi on 11 railcars

 

Chicago's Metra has completed installation of cellular Wi-Fi hotspots on one railcar for each of its 11 lines as part of a pilot program to determine whether the technology can provide free and dependable Internet access to customers onboard its trains.

“We continue to explore ways to provide free Wi-Fi on our trains and hope our customers will tell us if they find these new hotspots valuable,” said Metra Executive Director/CEO Don Orseno. “If it’s financially feasible and our customers like the free service, our agency would seek funding or sponsorships to install Wi-Fi on more of Metra’s railcars.”

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

Metra news release:

Metra Testing Free WiFi on 11 Railcars

 

(Feb. 22, 2015) – Metra today announced that it had completed installation of cellular Wi-Fi hotspots on one railcar for each of its 11 lines as part of a pilot program to determine whether the technology can provide free and dependable Internet access to customers onboard Metra trains.

 

“We continue to explore ways to provide free Wi-Fi on our trains and hope our customers will tell us if they find these new hotspots valuable,” said Metra Executive Director/CEO Don Orseno. “If it’s financially feasible and our customers like the free service, our agency would seek funding or sponsorships to install Wi-Fi on more of Metra’s railcars.”

 

The six-month pilot program is expected to cost approximately $35,000.

 

The pilot 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 is available on a car-by-car basis instead of a full train.

 

In general, the hotspots are limited to a 1 megabyte download speed per user. Checking email and Internet browsing are the intended uses of this service, not streaming video. Metra has posted information onboard to notify customers that streaming video will likely impair service and that there may be dead zones along the route. 

 

Metra will rotate the 11 Wi-Fi cars among each of its lines throughout the pilot program. The Wi-Fi cars are labeled with decals on the exterior and will be positioned as the end car on the train (opposite end from the locomotive), when possible. Conductors will also alert customers to the location of the Wi-Fi car through onboard announcements on all outbound trains.

 

To access the free Wi-Fi service, customers can simply select “Metra Wi-Fi Onboard” from the list of options on their smartphones, tablets or laptop computers. Once selected, they will have to agree to the terms and conditions to gain access to the service.

 

Customers can then visit www.metrarail.com/wifisurvey to provide feedback on the quality of Wi-Fi service. 

 

Last year, to further enhance the agency’s customer connectivity options, Metra completed installation of charging stations at all five downtown stations and implemented free Wi-Fi in the waiting areas.

[CNJRoss]

Metra news release:

 

Metra adding free Wi-Fi to 50 more cars  

(August 24, 2016) – After a successful six-month test using 11 railcars on all lines, Metra today announced that it would add free cellular Wi-Fi hotspots to 50 more cars.

 

The decision to continue and expand the Wi-Fi program was made after a majority of customers in an online survey said they were satisfied with the quality of the connection during the test, which began in February. In addition, a majority of survey respondents also indicated that the onboard Wi-Fi service met their expectations. The test was intended to determine whether the hotspot technology could provide free and dependable internet access to customers at an affordable cost to Metra.

 

“It’s clear from the test that this technology can meet the needs of a majority of our customers while still being affordable to Metra, so we are expanding our Wi-Fi program to 50 more cars,” said Metra Executive Director/CEO Don Orseno. “We’re happy to offer one more way to improve the customer experience onboard our trains.”

 

The Wi-Fi hotspot units cost about $2,000 each. The monthly data charges cost about $250 per unit per month, so the annual cost for units in 62 cars will be about $186,000. Metra is seeking partners to help offset the costs of the program.

 

The 50 additional cars will be distributed throughout the Metra system and labeled with orange decals on the exterior.

 

In general, the hotspots are limited to a 1 megabyte per second download speed per user. Checking email and Internet browsing are the intended uses of this service, not streaming video. Metra will continue to post information onboard to notify customers that streaming video will likely impair service and that there may be dead zones along the route. In 2013, Metra investigated offering more extensive Wi-Fi service on all cars, but the estimated $72 million upfront cost was prohibitive and in a subsequent effort the agency could not identify a partner who could reliably provide that level of funding.

 

To access the free Wi-Fi service, customers can simply select “Metra Wi-Fi Onboard” from the list of options on their smartphones, tablets or laptop computers. Once selected, they must agree to the terms and conditions to gain access to the service.

 

Last year, to further enhance the agency’s customer connectivity options, Metra completed installation of free charging stations and free Wi-Fi in the waiting areas at all five downtown stations.

 

[CNJRoss]

Chicago Tribune, 8/24:
 

Metra to add free Wi-Fi to 50 more cars

 

Metra plans to expand the number of rail cars with free cellular Wi-Fi hot spots by 50 cars to a total of 62, officials said Wednesday.

 

At the commuter rail service's monthly board meeting, CEO Don Orseno said the decision to expand Wi-Fi was based on positive customer response to the current program. The startup cost will be $100,000 and the annual cost about $186,000. Metra is looking for partners to help offset the costs, Orseno said.

 

The hot spots will work for checking email and internet browsing, but not for more elaborate functions such as streaming video. In 2013, Metra looked into offering more extensive service for all cars, but found the $72 million upfront cost too steep.

 

Continue here.