Arriva tests faster WiFi connection for the train

Transport company Arriva has been using a test train since last week in which a faster wireless WiFi connection is available than standard in the trains. Extra antennas have been installed both inside and outside the train and a 4G router is used.

The test train has been running in both the provinces of Friesland and Groningen since Thursday. Travelers can report their experience and feedback directly in a company app. The test lasts three months. Arriva will combine the experiences with its own samples and will decide in three months whether the new WiFi connection via 4G will be built into all Arriva trains. This is reported by the Dagblad van het Noorden.

Arriva expects that the addition of extra antennas will allow more passengers in the train to make better use of the Wi-Fi connection. The transport company is tempering expectations and states that the quality of the internet cannot be compared with fixed internet in terms of stability and speed. The test train can be recognized by large posters in the various train compartments, inviting travelers to participate in the testing of the wireless internet connection.

In 2011, Arriva provided its trains on the Merwede-Linge line with wireless internet. In 2012, Arriva announced the plan to equip all trains with free wireless internet via WiFi hotspots. A total of 99 trainsets were involved. This was realized in 2013. This usually involved a shared 20Mbit/s connection via a 3G router.