Passengers will now be able to access the internet at Patna Junction.
The East Central Railway (ECR) has roped in Google for providing wi-fi services from April 15.
The railway ministry had assigned the work to RailTel Corporation of India Limited, a public sector undertaking of railway. RailTel signed an agreement with Mahataa Information India Pvt Ltd (MIIPL), an arm of Google Inc, to provide wi-fi services to 400 stations in two phases.
ECR chief public relations officer Arvind Kumar Rajak told The Telegraph: "The wi-fi service at Patna Junction is likely to start from April 15 as the agency which was awarded the work has informed that the service would become functional on the said date. However, we do not want to take any chance as last minute change in dates cannot be ruled out."
In the first phase, 100 stations will be covered, while the facility would be extended to 300 stations in the second phase. Patna is getting the facility in the first phase.
The passengers would have to pay Rs 25 for 30 minutes of net surfing and Rs 40 for an hour.
These net packages would come in scratch cards available at a counter onplatform No. 1.
On the present status of the wi-fi service, a senior official of the Danapur signal and telecom department said: "Cable work has been completed and wireless access points have been installed. Even the router, the main equipment of the wi-fi service has also been received and we are in the process of installing it. It would be installed by an expert and we have informed the office in Delhi to send an engineer who can install the router. After its installation, we would conduct a trial run after which it would be available for the public."
Patna Junction is one of the most crowded junctions of ECR and receives a footfall of around 1.75 lakh every day with 350 pairs of trains passing through it. Having the wi-fi service would be a boon for passengers.
Residents had a mixed reaction to the delay of the wi-fi service.
"I have been hearing of the wi-fi service for more than two year now but it has not been started as yet. I do not know how much more time it would take but as you are saying it is likely to become functional by April 15. I hope it really starts. Otherwise, the railways would make a fool of themselves by just issuing the statement," said Raju Kumar, a resident of Boring Road, also a teacher in a government college.
