Railways launches Wi-Fi broadband service at New Delhi station

The Railways has started providing Wi-Fi broadband service at New Delhi Railway Station. The Wi-Fi project is being executed by RailTel, a public sector undertaking under the ministry of railways.

The Wi-Fi facility provided at the New Delhi Railway Station is free for the first 30 minutes for railway users. The RailWire powered Wi-Fi will give maximum speed of 1 mbps.

Wi-Fi facility can be accessed by users free of cost initially for a period of 30 minutes by registering on the Wi-Fi network through their mobile. For usage beyond 30 minutes, the user may purchase scratch cards, which will be made available at the 24X7 Wi-Fi help desks in the concourse on Paharganj and Ajmeri gate side of station adjoining platform No 1 and 16 respectively. These cards are priced at Rs25 for 30 minutes and Rs35 for 1 hour and are valid through 24 hours.

The Wi-Fi facility is being executed by RailTel with a Gigabit Ethernet network using Optic Fibre Cable (OFC) in a ring. Twenty-two such GE switches deliver to 60 numbers of wireless access points (AP), which are commissioned strategically at all 16 platforms, including concourse area. OFC cable has been laid in all the platforms at New Delhi Railway Station, including foot over bridge (FOB) and concourse.

The total cost of the project is Rs50 lakh and an amount of Rs16 lakh will be spent annually to run the facility.

The Wi-Fi facility will be provided at 75 A1 category stations within a period of 12 months. It will be launched on trial basis at Agra, Ahmedabad and Varanasi by end of December and at Howrah, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai and Secunderabad by January 2015.

The ministry of communications and information technology has been approached for financial support from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) for providing Wi-Fi facility at way side stations, particularly in remote areas.

For installing the Wi-Fi passengers have to follow some simple steps:

• First switch on Wi-Fi on the user's mobile
• Choose Wi-Fi network - RailWire which is free
• Open browser
• Eenter mobile number to register
• After registration, user will get one time password (OTP) via SMS
• Get ready to log in for surfing

Speaking on the occasion, railway minister Suresh Prabhu said that while expectations of the common railway user is quite basic in nature like cleanliness in stations and trains, quality in catering and security and safety, it is also the responsibility and the duty of the railway administration to take measures to improve the facilities provided to railway users.

The world is seeing the changes in various fields and the Railways should also keep pace with the latest technology, he said.

He said the Wi-Fi facility, which is currently being provided at New Delhi station, will be extended to the other stations and eventually to running trains.

He asked RailTel to work out a business model for this purpose. He said that use of science and technology and information and communication technology will make life easier for the common people.

Indian Railways, he said, is fully committed to the use of IT for improving facilities for rail users and also directed CRIS, the IT arm of the ministry of railways, to develop an application for the safety of women passengers.

He said railway personnel should also be encouraged to use more IT related products and they should be accordingly given the facility of IT products.