Ashwini Vaishnaw: Indian Railways provides free wi-fi at over 6,000 stations

New Delhi: Indian Railways is providing free Wi-Fi facilities at 6,115 railway stations across the country under the government’s Digital India Programme, which aims to bridge the urban-rural digital gap. According to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s written reply in the Rajya Sabha, “Almost all railway stations across Indian Railways have 4G/5G coverage provided by the Telecom Service Providers. These networks are also being utilised by passengers for data connectivity, resulting in an enhanced passenger experience. Besides the above, free Wi-Fi services have also been provided at 6,115 railway stations,”

At these stations, passengers can watch HD videos, download entertainment content, and perform office work through the free Wi-Fi. To use the service, they need to activate the Wi-Fi mode on their smartphone, connect to the ‘RailWire’ Wi-Fi network, enter their mobile number, receive an SMS OTP, and then start accessing the internet.

The coverage spans major stations in Tier 1 cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai Central, Chennai Central, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad, along with Tier 2 cities like Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Meerut, and Bhopal, and Tier 3 cities including Rohtak and Cuttack.

The free Wi-Fi is provided by RailTel, a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways, through its ‘RailWire’ brand. RailTel had earlier collaborated with Google and Tata Trusts to expand this initiative, but now it manages and operates RailWire independently. In April, RailTel won a major order worth Rs 90.08 crore from the Institute of Road Transport, and over the past five years, its shares have delivered more than 140 per cent returns to investors.

With inputs from IANS