(The following story by Michael Dresser appeared on the Baltimore Sun website on June 2, 2010.)
BALTIMORE, Md. — After a three-month test period, Amtrak has decided to make free WiFi service on its Excela Express trains a standard of the service and is planning to expand it to other trains.
According to Amtrak, almost 40 percent of its passengers have logged on to the service since it was instituted March 1, with three-quarters of those surveyed reporting a favorable experience.
The railroad said it is making the AmtrakConnect service permanent on all of its high-speed Acela Express trains between Boston and Washington.
Amtrak said it also plans to upgrade the service to handle video files better and to expand it to Northeast Regional trains and other route around the country. It said that work would begin in late fall on California trains and would be followed by the Northeast Regional trains. The railroad said it is now seeking vendors to provide such services.
AmtrakConnect service is also available to all passengers in the gate areas of major Northeast Corridor stations, including Baltimore’s Penn Station.