Internet Access on Amtrak Trains

I rode down to DC on the 10 am Acela Monday and AcelaConnect was nothing to celebrate. I was able to log on to a couple websites at extremely slow speeds--slower than mid-90s dial-up--before my browser ceased connecting altogether. My wife and her colleagues had the same experience on the 9 am train that morning, as well as on the return on Tuesday.

I was able to send and receive email, so I knew I was connected to the internet. Eventually, it occurred to me to log on to my company's VPN, and when I did that I was able to surf the web.

Amtrak has some bugs to work out before it expands its internet service. But then again, one would've thought they've worked those bugs out before they publicly introduced AcelaConnect.

good enough for government work I guess

travelrobb wrote:I rode down to DC on the 10 am Acela Monday and AcelaConnect was nothing to celebrate. I was able to log on to a couple websites at extremely slow speeds--slower than mid-90s dial-up--before my browser ceased connecting altogether. My wife and her colleagues had the same experience on the 9 am train that morning, as well as on the return on Tuesday.

I was able to send and receive email, so I knew I was connected to the internet. Eventually, it occurred to me to log on to my company's VPN, and when I did that I was able to surf the web.

Amtrak has some bugs to work out before it expands its internet service. But then again, one would've thought they've worked those bugs out before they publicly introduced AcelaConnect.

I have taken the Acela 4 or 5 times WAS to NYP since they introduced the WiFi service on March 1 and have not encountered the real slow speeds you did. It was not super fast and did have a noticeable lag, but worked fine for surfing the net, getting emails. Could be the system was having technical problems or everyone and his brother on the train was trying to use it at the same time. If the problem showed up on multiple trains, my guess would be that they are having technical problems this week. But there could also be near dead or slow zones on particular parts of the NEC route that you ran into.

What continues to amaze me is that VIA Rail had WiFi in its 50+ year old stainless steel coaches (and LRC's, etc.) for first class passengers on at least the Montreal-Toronto corridor as early as 2005 or so. And this corridor is much less populated than the NEC - and in some cases in very remote areas with all things considered. Not that the "equipment necessarily has something to do with WiFi, it's more about the WiFi service/capability in general. If VIA had the "know how," why couldn't some Amtrak folks learn from VIA?

Over the last few months I have been doing a lot of travelling by train and was unfortunate enough to have tried the WiFi service on the VIA trains on my way to Niagara Falls, very slow, lots of disconnections and large area's where there appeared to be no internet access at all ended up reverting to my iPhone as it was quicker!! After travelling on the Acela I was please to see that WiFi on a train can be done properly, I didn't experience the issues some users have had and overall I thought the performance and user experience was excellent Guess this may be why Amtrak haven't asked VIA for advice!

Global-Traveller wrote:Over the last few months I have been doing a lot of travelling by train and was unfortunate enough to have tried the WiFi service on the VIA trains on my way to Niagara Falls, very slow, lots of disconnections and large area's where there appeared to be no internet access at all ended up reverting to my iPhone as it was quicker!! After travelling on the Acela I was please to see that WiFi on a train can be done properly, I didn't experience the issues some users have had and overall I thought the performance and user experience was excellent Guess this may be why Amtrak haven't asked VIA for advice!

Interesting, as I had no problems with VIA's WiFi service in the VIA 1 car between Toronto and Montreal.

I tried last about their wi-fi a speed connection I am going to say they have a slow signal. I can't connect to my laptop, I hope there will be another way to make it.

I was not impressed with the WiFi on VIA Rail trains when I have used it. It worked...some of the time. It wasn't fast and there was lag. I get to try out Acela's in a few weeks.

Nick

Let's agree that WiFi on Amtrak trains is LONG over due.

Any chance of the Cardinal getting wi-fi by September? I have a nice long 18 hour ride coming up.....worst case, I can always tether from my phone.

checkthedoorlight wrote:Any chance of the Cardinal getting wi-fi by September? I have a nice long 18 hour ride coming up.....worst case, I can always tether from my phone.

I wouldn't bet on it, your best bet will be to tether.

checkthedoorlight wrote:Any chance of the Cardinal getting wi-fi by September? I have a nice long 18 hour ride coming up.....worst case, I can always tether from my phone.

best bet on that one is if you have a blackberry you can tether it with your computer to provide internet access(I had good luck with this when I went into upstate ny last spring) or get a verizon 3g card for your laptop. The tether for my blackberry was only $1 a day.

checkthedoorlight wrote:Any chance of the Cardinal getting wi-fi by September? I have a nice long 18 hour ride coming up.....worst case, I can always tether from my phone.

Extremely unlikely. The press release Amtrak put out in early June about keeping the Acela WiFi service free, stated work is expected to begin by late fall 2010 for the Amtrak California service routes followed by the NE Regionals. See http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/BlobServe ... tinues.pdf.

Of all the LD trains, the Cardinal may be among the last to get wifi anyway. I would expect cell phone voice service, let alone data service, to be pretty spotty on the WV part of the route. Maybe September, 2011 or Sept, 2012.