Internet on the train – Dobrindt want WiFi in regional trains and suburban trains – Süddeutsche.de

Internet on the train – Dobrindt want WiFi in regional trains and suburban trains – Süddeutsche.de

• Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt demands that the German railway also equips the regional trains with fast and free wifi.
• The railway transported in the transport . significantly more passengers than in long-distance traffic
• The company holds the WLAN expansion possible – if the Federal Countries designate the trainsets

By Daniela Kuhr

In the morning in the south. Bahn on the way to work, it is a common sight: people who stare at their smartphones. And rigid. And rigid. They often need infinite patience until the news sites have built – or the latest e-mails have been loaded. Federal Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt wants to change that.

The CSU politicians expected from the web much more efforts to equip their trains with fast internet. “It is not sufficient to equip only long-distance transport, regional trains and suburban trains have wireless Internet access have” Dobrindt told the SZ. The fast Internet should also provide the state company to its customers “free” is available.

So far, the path of those objectives is still far away. Although at least 231 of the 255 ICE trains are equipped with the necessary equipment to access the Internet, in regional and suburban railways but even still no wifi is currently available. However, this is the area in which the web is by far the most passengers transported. Nearly two billion people in terms of annual regional services of state-owned, the long-distance transport, however, there are only about 130 million

The web could “ the Become transport of the digital age, “Dobrindt said. But was needed “a modernization campaign to fully exploit this potential.” Both the German railway and its competitors for regional services must be based on the “adjust changing realities of life of the people and therefore offer mobile telephony and high-speed internet in all trains”

First progress sees the Minister already. In ICE can at least the passengers of the first class surf for free for a few weeks on the internet. For the second class rail chief Ruediger Grube will allow in the course of next year as well.

At the regional transport, however, there are no such plans. The path refers to the fact that, unlike the Highway, does not operate regional services commercially. Instead, write the countries from which services they want, and then award the contract to transport the web or a competitor. “If wifi is desired on regional trains, should submit the appropriate board equipment are recognized in the tender for the transport contracts. On the other hand, the absolutely necessary wireless infrastructure must be available along the routes,” it says on the web. “When so ordered, we like to equip our trains from.”