News

New On-Train WiFi and Digital Mapping Systems for Chennai Metro

(20 Feb 2019, BWCS Staff)

Chennai Metro is set to become the latest Indian city transport system to introduce on-train WiFi. According to reports in the Indian press, parent company Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has floated tenders to supply WiFi services on the 32 stations and in the train carriages of the 45km network.

Opened in 2015, Chennai Metro is a two line, 42 train system that criss-crosses the sprawling Southern Indian city of just over 7 million people. It has a ridership of some 1 million passengers per day. Operations are set to begin soon in North Chennai, with an extension from Washermanpet to Wimco Nagar. This will add a further 10km of track and an additional 10 new trains.

At present some 24km of track runs underground and mobile networks do not operate in this section.

CMRL first floated a tender for the installation of WiFi on its trains back in 2016. However, a report tucked away in one section of The Times of India, indicates that this project ran into the buffers following disagreements between the operators.

According to The Hindu newspaper, CMRL also plans to install new dynamic in-carriage maps that will show commuters the route through which they travel and the subsequent stations. These will replace the current system that merely indicates what the next stop is. In addition, the new system will be able to carry advertising, allowing the operator to generate some extra revenue.

A spokesperson for the train operator, quoted in The Hindu, said “Thousands of working professionals take the Chennai Metro; now, when they travel underground, there is no connectivity in some stretches and this problem will go if this new plan is implemented and WiFi connectivity comes into place. Also, many others who want to listen to music or watch something online, can do so.”

BWCS is constantly monitoring developments in the WiFi on Trains sector within each national market. For more information about how to access our international database of interviews and market developments (www.Internet4trains.com ), please contact Ross.Parsons@BWCS.com  

On-board WiFi, trackside networks, the growing market for passenger WiFi services and on-board entertainment will be the main subjects of BWCS’s WiFi on Trains Conference 2019 on the 4th and 5th of June.

For more information on the conference please see www.Traincomms2019.com or contact Ross.Parsons@BWCS.com .

The 2019 conference (www.Traincomms2019.com ) is sponsored by Icomera, Nomad Digital, Fluidmesh, RADWIN and BAI Communications.

 



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