WiFi Boost for NI Train Passengers

Rail passengers across Northern Ireland can now avail of free WiFi on all local train services and from the end of October on cross border Enterprise services.  This follows an investment by Translink of over £900,000 in the new WiFi technology.

Through introducing WiFi to all trains, Translink is directly responding to the changing passenger expectations and is positioning itself as a modern and dynamic public transport provider. 

To access the free WiFi service passengers will require a WiFi enabled device; all mainstream laptops, tablets, PDA’s smartphones and web browsers are supported.

Mal McGreevy, General Manager, Rail Services said, “We are committed to continually innovating and improving our services and this new WiFi facility will allow us to further enhance the on board travel experience for our customers.  More and more people are using the train and making better use of their travel time to catch up on emails, engage in social media, web browsing or even planning their next trip.

Independent research released recently indicates that customer satisfaction levels for NI Railways are at an all-time high and rail services achieved a 100% ‘on time’ score, reflecting the benefits of the new Class 4000 trains*.  The addition of free WiFi will further enhance the overall travel experience for customers.

Mal continued, “All local trains across the NI Railways network are now already fully equipped and all cross border Enterprise services will be fitted with the new technology from the end of October giving our customers free access to high speed internet making rail travel even more convenient, attractive and flexible.

“People in Northern Ireland are becoming increasingly technology-savvy. One in ten now own a tablet such as an iPad and 34% of adults also now own a smartphone. Around one third are accessing the internet via their mobile phone[i], so we are confident that a significant proportion of our passengers will benefit from our enhanced services. Whether it’s catching up on work or personal emails, latest news or browsing social media using the train, is clearly a smarter way to travel.

“We are encouraging as many people as possible to experience rail travel, with all our new Class 4000 trains now in passenger use the train offers  great value, especially in the current climate where the costs of running a car continue to rise.”

For more information on Translink’s great value rail offers visit www.translink.co.uk or call 028 90 66 66 30. 

ENDS

For further information please contact Lyn Sheridan or Patrick Finlay on 028 9066 3000 or email Patrick@aikenpr.com

Notes to editors• A full summary results leaflet is available at bus and rail stations or online at www.translink.co.uk

• Translink has contracted Nomad Digital to provide on-train hardware and customer support services,  ensuring rail passengers get the best internet connection as they travel by using multiple, best available, mobile data connections,.

• Internet speeds will vary dependent on location and the number of users on the service at any one time.  There is intermittent coverage between Portadown and Newry, between Carrickfergus and Larne and between Ballymena and Coleraine. This is beyond the control of Translink and Nomad Digital.

• Passengers who are experiencing problems connecting to Wi-Fi are asked to call Translink’s service provider, Nomad Digital on 0207 096 6966 or email www.nirailwaysepassengerwifi.com

• Passengers are being encouraged to be considerate when using the new facility and only do so for web browsing, email and social networking.  Users will not be allowed to access media streaming or inappropriate sites through the free service.  Translink has also implemented a number of measures to reduce the risk to users so despite this being an open network, it should not be possible for people to gain unauthorised access to your computer.  However the company is reminding users to ensure they have up to date firewall and anti-virus software installed.