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IF YOU ARE travelling on the Cork – Dublin route by train this weekend, don’t forget to bring your laptop or smartphone with you – because Irish Rail are beginning to roll out free wi-fi on their services.
There might not be many real-life conversations taking place on board because from now on people will be able to browse the net while taking the 2hr 50 minute journey.
It will make commuting easier for those who take the train for work – and help the antisocial avoid talking to the person sitting next to them.
Dublin company FleetConnect has been awarded the contract to equip the trains with wi-fi, which will begin with the Cork-Dublin route and then move onto other trains, including the Intercity railcar fleet.
After a testing period, it will be extended to all of the CAF Intercity trains on the Dublin-Cork fleet by the end of September.
A spokesperson for Iarnród Eireann said:
With the proliferation of internet-ready Smartphones and tablet PCs, today’s rail passengers are increasingly coming to expect to be able to access wi-fi while on the move so they can work or be entertained throughout their journey.
The decision to introduce wi-fi followed a successful trial on selected services last year.
Iarnród Éireann said connecting to wi-fi on the trains will be “simple” and that a dedicated helpline will be provided by FleetConnect.
Now put a powerplug under each table aswell!
Im nearly sure there are power plugs under each table already and at every pair of seats, ive charged my phone plenty of times on the dublin to galway route.
there are plugs beside each seat on all the new trains on all the lines I’ve been on…
Absolutely! It annoys me so much that the Cork-Dublin route still doesn’t have this facility, when it’s been available on a lot of other routes for so long.
..and knowing Irish Rail it’ll be free for a month, then €1 the next month, then €5 the next month, then €10 the next month.. and a €2 credit card fee and €1 transaction fee on top. Oh and it won’t work also.
About time:)
Been waiting for this on the Belfast – Dublin route, will probably have to wait until 2020!!
Sake, how about make the trains sun on time first, or make them not cos half a years salary, of make them run more often than once a month…. i guess that would be the smart thing to do, so it wont happen
run, even
and eventually someone will create a way to correct spelling on computerised devices…
and eventually people will stop giving a shit about other people spelling
*people’s
Good news, but, if I’m allowed be negative for a second, it’s about bloody time all the same. CityLink and Go Bus have had free Wi-Fi on their Galway-Dublin buses for years now. You’d think that on a train it’d be a standard service, considering there’s tables between seats to place laptops on.
WELCOME CIE to 2005
Was on Dublin- Westport train yesterday & my iPad showed Wi Fi was in operation but couldn’t get a password for it! Asked a ticket checker if he had a password but he said none & he might have it next week! Luckily for Cork who gets it before us!!!!!
The password is probably in the post!
(A bit like trying to play the Irish Lotto through the net – you have to fill in a load of screens then only to be told after that, you then have to apply through the post to play on the net!)
Welcome to the Irish way of doing things!
Great to see this but it only took them like 3 years to get to this point.
Some background reading:
http://evertb.wordpress.com/?s=wifi+%26+train
http://www.airappz.com/news/
I’m glad though that they have decided to offer the service at no charge and am looking forward to trying it.
Only about six years late.
And about Citylink and espically Bus Eireann they havent got their wif switched on half the time.Dont know about Go Bus
go bus have wifi always on all time
The Cork – Dublin route doesn’t have plugs under each table sadly, only behind the seats at the end of each carriage. Seems this might have been better rolled out on the Dublin – Sligo route or Dublin – Belfast route first until they get the trains upgraded.
In saying that, fair play to them for getting it up and running
have your say