KENNY WELCOMES FREE WI-FI ON ALL INTERCITY TRAIN SERVICES

Posted on July 9, 2012 1:49 PM   |   Permanent Link   

Dublin North East T.D. and Oireachtas Transport Committee Member, Sean Kenny today warmly welcomed the announcement that all of Iarnród Éireann Intercity trains are now equipped with free WiFi.

"WiFi was already operating on services on the 67 carriages of the Dublin-Cork fleet since 2011 and the service has proven a huge hit with rail customers on the route. Equipping the new 234-carriage Intercity railcar fleet, with WiFi means that every Intercity route on the network now has free WiFi, covering services from Dublin to and from -Cork, Sligo, Westport, Galway, Limerick, Kerry, Waterford, Rosslare.

"The availability of free WiFi is an added bonus for rail customers, already benefitting from a new, modern Intercity fleet. One of the great benefits of the modern Intercity network is that you can use your travelling time productively, for work or leisure and free WiFi will only add to this. Customers can use their smartphones, media devices, tablets, laptops and more while on their journey. Customers on the Intercity railcar fleet, which are now equipped with free wifi, also have plug sockets at every seat, so they can charge their devices as they travel for maximum convenience.

"I understand that Iarnród Éireann is also planning to introduce WiFi on the DART and Commuter fleet during the summer of 2012, with the support of the National Transport Authority, which will be a really fantastic development for local and regional commuters. I also understand that work will be undertaken towards the end of the year to have WiFi operating on the Dublin-Belfast line.

"When all of this takes place, the Iarnród Éireann fleet of trains will be one of the most Wi-Fi connected fleets in Europe, and is the latest phase in service improvements from the rail company. It is great to see Iarnród Éireann delivering smart travel for the Irish smart economy. Although it seems like a small enough announcement in its own right, it is this sort development which will grow and develop the Irish knowledge economy, about which we hear so much."