Wi-Fi on the Rails

Looking for a wireless signal? All you need to do is find a seat on a train.

New Jersey Transit's board has approved a proposal to provide wireless Internet service at train stations and on trains, but it's not clear if it will cost commuters.

The contract with Cablevision Systems Corp. is for 20 years and won't cost NJ Transit anything.

The project is expected to be largely completed by the end of 2016. The first phase of the project will provide wireless access by the end of this year in major stations such as Newark Penn Station, Hoboken and Secaucus. Other stations will then be equipped, followed by rail cars by line.

NJ Transit says a recent customer service survey found 67 percent of its passenger use Internet devices to get service information while commuting. Wi-Fi on trains would help passengers check e-mail and do work on tablets, etc. while the trains are underground.

Wi-Fi is already offered on certain transit systems around the country and at many Amtrak stations and some rail lines.

Copyright The Associated Press
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