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Pakistan Expands WiFi on Trains
(09 Aug 2016, BWCS Staff)Some four years after the first trains fitted with WiFi appeared in the country, Pakistan looks set to roll out services nationally on long-distance trains. In what some commentators see as a break-through move, Pakistan’s Minister for Railways, Khawaja Saad Rafique, yesterday directed that provision for Internet access and WiFi facilities be made available on trains and at all railways stations.
Speaking after a high-level meeting in Lahore, Rafique said he was instructing Pakistan Railways to prepare a model for implementation as soon as possible. The Minister issued directives to take measures for the upgrading of five trains including Tezgam Express, Pakistan Express, Jaffer Express, Khyber Mail and Awami Express. He also wants WiFi to be made available at all divisional offices besides the railways headquarters.
In 2012 Pakistan Railways launched WiFi services on board its flagship business express train between Lahore and Karachi. The Pak Business Express covers the 1,200km journey in around 18 hours. The addition of WiFi and TV services on the 13 coach service has been widely viewed as a major plus by travellers. The train is a joint venture between Pakistan Railways and private investment vehicle M/S Four Brothers.
Last year, the national train operator announced that it would be offering WiFi on its newly re-branded Greenline trains covering the 23 hour haul between Karachi and Islamabad. However, the service has since come in for criticism over the speed and extent of coverage offered on the route.
The railway system in Pakistan is currently undergoing an US$8.5 billion upgrade as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project. The first phase of the project will be completed by December next year and the remainder by 20121.
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