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UK Trains Take WiFi Route To Connectivity
Randy Sparks writes "The BBC is reporting that one of the UK's largest train operators, GNER, is to offer Wi-Fi net access on its trains. What's interesting is how this net connection will be achieved - by a combination of networks provided by multiple mobile phone connections or even digital TV Internet, provided from ground stations the train passes by. It'll cost UKP4.95 per hour for train goers, although First Class Travellers will get it free..."
Make sure you sit next to the first class car! You just might get free access. "Warsitting", perhaps?
Why do people keep giving us the wrong currency symbol? GBP is the international standard code for pounds, not UKP! For another thing, slashdot dosen't allow pound signs either. Stupid stuck in 1997 website deisgn that dosen't even have valid HTML 3.2!
I have a fetish for traffic cones
Here in Estonia we have GPRS-based connection in trains. Haven't tried it myself, but I've been told it's quite slow and sluggish.
I posted that original article, that was when the GNER service was a trial, now it appears the trial was successful and will be rolled out in the entire fleet.
GNER is the only decent train company in the UK, it's the only one that still offers a smoking carriage, it gives regular travellers a loyalty card like many airlines do, in has a proper restaurant service and I've not had too many problems with their timekeeping.
The only thing I can say bad about them is that they used to sell bottled real ales in the buffet car, but they stopped doing those October last year, now you've got only canned mainstream beers which ain't the same. GNER are usually good at listening to feedback so if you're a regular traveller and miss the guest ales then email them and let them know. Vist www.gner.co.uk and click on the 'contact us' link, then select customer relations.
The track is already used for train position detecttion and interlocking. I suspect that whilst it may be possible to additionally use the track for internet traffic, it is against regulations for the train protection systems.
"Leaves on the line"
and"The wrong kind of snow".
But not all of the line is electrified, GNER services from Edinburgh to Aberdeen and Inverness are still run using diesel trains as there's no power lines north of Edinburgh. I suspect this is because the main Scottish rail operatior, ScotRail, doesn't have any plans to introduce electric trains so GNER need to make do as well for this part of the route
Ya, I know, I live in London.
But the BBC commented on the fact that other Operators were going to interduce the same survice soon. If Branson fails to get the same thing added to Virgin's trains with-in six months of GNER doing it, I'll send my e-mail address to the top five spammers :)
I was not intending for my comment to be Moded funny anyway, I was hoping that the idea of moblie offices would actualy spark some interest, but it looks like most people took it as mobile SPAM offices, and i only ment that to be a humerious title.
Acutally that excuse was only used a handfull of times. It's become folklore now - so people bring it up all the time.
The problem came about when they switched the brakes to using disk brakes rather than clamping the outer edge of the wheel. The clamping action would help scrape the leaf mulch off the wheels so the wheels were clean to grip the track. The leaf mulch couldn't be cleaned off when the disk brakes were used.
As for the wrong kind of snow, it's more that the de-icer was sprayed on the tracks - then the temperature rose and it started raining and washed off the de-icer - then the temperature dropped and the rain froze on the tracks. Odd circumstances, but you can easily understand how it happens!
Dunk
The press release states "The latest trials were held on route between Edinburgh and London Kings Cross and achieved realistic data rates and speeds, with over 18 GigaBytes of data being sent to and from the train."
I got the impression from the people on the stand that they will be using WiMax to get the signal to the train passengers, and then standard 802.11b inside the carriages.
If it all works out it should make train journeys a bit more interesting, but there goes my excuse to get out of doing any work.
Oh, and the trains do have power outlets anyway. :p
Lalala
100 megabytes and if you exceed that, it's 2 euros/megabyte. So, what's 100 mb/month good for? Definitely not for using graphical WWW on Opera's mobile version.
... 0.5MB of GPRS included! GBP2.35 / MB if I go over that.
You think that's bad?
I pay GBP25/mo on O2's online offpeak 500 tariff.
I get
How do they expect such technologies to seriously take off at such extortionate prices? I could probably download my email once with that amount of inclusive transfer..
If we ignore the fact that only part of the tracks are electrified, broadband over power does not work over high voltage. It is only designed to work on relatively low power wires from the closest switching station to a house. Even in these conditions the power has to be cleaned of interference as much as possible. Overhead train power is (in this case) 25 000 V AC. It is not particularily clean and the connection from the wire to the pantograph is the absolute opposite of clean. Although the rails are not powered, they are grounded as they are the ground point for the electrification so they are very much a part of the same mess.
There isn't much chance of moving anything along the rails. Train tracking and control uses either a balise (an antenna between the rails) and an antenna under the train or a radio network. The future European Train Control System is designed to use a special version of GSM called GSM-R for communication. It would probably be possible to run an antenna along the side of the rails. This is how they make GSM work in metro systems at least in Helsinki. But this gets as back to the original point of using existing infrastructure.
GNER press release
GNER WiFi site
The full rollout hasn't commenced yet but you can find out which trains are already running with WiFi
The on board menu
Old hat. VIA Rail Canada has been offering wireless for almost a year...
Some local train services and the London Underground use a third rail to carry power while the Intercity system and some other local train services use overhead cables, as do most (all?) of the tram type systems.
Just to clarify:
South of the River Thames (and near Liverpool), 750v (or sometimes 630v) DC is used from a third rail. Elsewhere, rail electrification is 25kv AC overhead lines. The London Underground is 660v DC using a third rail for current and a fourth rail for return. Light rail systems typically use 1500v DC on the overhead, except for the Docklands Light Railway, which is 750v DC from an upside down 3rd rail (the collector is underneath, rather than on top)
All clear?
I thought not.
Still, at Stratford, east London, there is 2-rail (25kv), 2 lots of 3-rail (750v and DLR), 2 lots of 4 rail (Central and Jubilee lines), so you can see for yourself. If you want. Maybe. Possibly.
"She's furniture with a pulse"
Martin Little took the WiFi train and reviewed the journey for Mobitopia back in December 2003.
Not altogether positive, GPRS may well be quicker for many people.
There are several rail providers in Canada and the US that are trialling WiFi access. VIA Rail is currently offering it for free on the Toronto to Montreal run. There are trials running down in California as well as other places. Check out PointShot Wireless for more. (No, I dont work there.)