WASHINGTON — Amtrak has issued two Requests for Information seeking to provide high-speed wi-fi connectivity along the 450-mile Northeast Corridor, the company announced Thursday, May 2.
One of the requests seeks to identify organizations interested in deploying a fiber network along the NEC; the other seeks metrics to understand the market demand along six subsections of the corridor: Washington-Baltimore; Baltimore-Philadelphia; Philadelphia-Newark, N.J.; Newark-New York; New York-New Haven, Conn.; New Haven-Boston. End points of each section are defined by the primary Amtrak station in each city.
Based on results of the two requests, Amtrak may issue a Request for Proposals for companies to design a new high-capacity fiber optic cable and wireless network along the route to improve onboard passenger wi-fi, network connectivity, and other uses. Based on what Amtrak learns from these requests, the company will consider options to provide reliable wi-fi to trains across the country. Intersted parties much complete a short questionnaire on a potential network on Amtrak’s Procurement Portal.
It would be nice to have any kind of internet access west of Chicago.