Bhubaneswar, April 17: Wait for trains at Bhubaneswar railway station will not be as boring anymore with the area having become a free Wi-Fi zone from today.
The service, which was commissioned by Central PSU, RailTel and Internet major Google, was today launched by railway minister Suresh Prabhu.
The free Internet service would cover all the six platforms, waiting rooms and dormitories.
Railway officials said that users would be able to stream high-definition videos besides getting online information about trains and their destinations. Smart phone users need to select the Railwire network and then open the browser to railwire.co.in after which the user will have to enter the phone number in the Wi-Fi login screen. The user will get a four-digit code. Once the person enters the code, he or she will be able to access the free Internet service.
"The facility at Bhubaneswar railway station will enable thousands of passengers to enjoy high speed Wi-Fi service. We are shortly going to launch the service at 16 stations and will cover 100 stations by end of this year," said Prabhu.
Minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha, who was also present at the inauguration ceremony, said that two other stations in the state - Cuttack and Puri - would shortly get the service.
"We are trying to provide the service to passengers at Puri railway station before this year's chariot festival," Sinha said.
Chairman and managing director of RailTel R.K. Bahuguna said that they have plugged the loopholes in the service since its launch in Mumbai Central.
"Passengers can now access high-speed Internet through our optical fibre communication network. With our partnership with Google, we are confident of rolling out a robust service at railway stations in the country," said Bahuguna.
Though the railway officials said that the Internet access would be completely free of cost round the clock, sources in the East Coast Railway said that they might put a time limit for free service.
At present, more than 10 lakh passengers depend on the railway station every month with more than 120 trains originating or passing through the railway station every day.
Apart from Bhubaneswar, Wi-Fi will be available at 10 more stations, including Jaipur, Patna, Ranchi, Ernakulum, Allahabad, Lucknow and Guwahati.
The city already has free Wi-Fi services at Surya Nagar, road connecting Siripur Square to Ganga Nagar, the area near BMC Bhawani Mall, in and around Forest Park, Imfa Park in Saheed Nagar, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Park at Satsang Vihar and on the Utkal University campus. At these places, users can enjoy the free Internet for 30 minutes after which it is chargeable.
Passengers expressed happiness with the launch of new service.
"We have been eagerly waiting for it. Waiting for train would not be as boring anymore because we will be able to utilise the free Wi-Fi. However, the authorities should ensure proper connectivity round the clock," said Neha Choudhury, a passenger.
