Last year’s Railway Budget had proposed to provide Wi-Fi at A1 and A category railway stations but so far, it has been implemented only at Chennai Central station.
Wi-Fi can be accessed at the station by choosing the ‘railwire’ network. The username is the person’s mobile number and the password is sent as a text message to the users after registration.
Browsing is free for the first 30 minutes after which a nominal fee is charged.
Southern Railway has classified eight stations, including Chennai Central and Egmore, as A1. Forty-two, including Tambaram, Chengalpattu and Arakkonam, come under category A, and 26 stations, including Tiruvallur, Tiruttani and Perambur, are classified as category B.
“As of now, there is no funds crunch. We have implemented Wi-Fi facility in Chennai, Bengaluru and Delhi. There are plans to roll it out in one station in each State, and depending on its success, Wi-Fi will be provided at all A1 and A category stations across the country in a phased manner,” said an official of RailTel Corporation.
Though officials say around 6,000 persons can avail of the Wi-Fi facility at a time, K. Pradeep, a travel agent who frequently visits Chennai Central, says he is unable to access websites.
“All you get is the Wi-Fi symbol. Though I register and get the password, I am unable to access websites,” he says.
