Amtrak and Wifi <--> Sleepers

Very interesting question!!

During my cross country trip on Amtrak last Oct (WV to CA) I had WiFi.....KINDA!!! 

The train did not have WiFi itself.....but each station did.....I'd get 5 minutes or so to download mail or send mail...then back into darkness.

It's my understanding that only NE Corridor trains and some of the California based short and long distance trains have WiFi. I would like to see WiFi introduced on all trains....but in a way not having it is a break I need at times.

My understanding the 'why' is the equipment is not set up for it.....IE COST!

Gene Roddenberry was right.  We are slowly bcoming the Borg.  Do human beings need to be connected....ALL OF THE TIME?

I do not think they have the technical expertise.  The Coast Starlight theoretically has it in the lounge car, but it doesn't work well.  By now they have probably done away with the lounge - they had been cheapening the experience as time went on.

Canadian sleeper train I've booked doesn't have it either.  My kids are whining in a major way.  They really went into hysterics when they found out not only is there no wifi, their phones won't work there either.  

Kent in SD

It works well on the Northeast Regionals I take from Newark to Williamsburg VA but wasn't available on the Tampa FL train. I suspect its just too expensive to cover these larger geographical areas. Also the passenger density is much less and folks are more apt to be traveling for pleasure rather than business as on the NE corridor.

Scotie

It's called "no capital funding to put the WiFi equipment in the long-distance fleet". Seriously. Amtrak certainly wanted to install the equipment fleetwide, but there isn't any money to outfit more than the Northeast equipment (meaning "NE Regional")

If a train has WiFi, the main equipment (and best signal) is going to be in the cafe car. The rest of the cars (Amfleet 1 only) might have repeaters, if so equipped. But the whole shebang depends on a cellular modem in that cafe. If you are out of range of a cell tower, you're out of luck.

BTW, Greyhound advertises WiFi on its buses. Since it's introduction I've had several trips NYC-Montreal where either the modem didn't work, or the access point you're supposed to connect to was out of commission. Never did get it work once. But the Adirondack Trailways buses I had on the return trip had functioning WiFi every time (although you had to wait till you crossed back into the US owing to the insane cost of roaming data)

---PCJ

It is as I suspected then . . . no money.

Still there last March.  The old refurbished El Cap lounge car is the best car on the train.  Being a network engineer I asked an Amtrak IT person explain WTF.  The car has to be in range of a cell tower and only has 2G connectivity.  Which means if more than 1/2 of a person is using it...

Now, the new Viewliner II cars are all supposed to have 4G WiFi.  It's supposed to be the next generation of what the Acela's have.  Supposedly each car will have it's own 4G connection to a cell tower.  Which means in outer Boondockia it will probably still be less than perfect.

Is the Pennsylvanian a long distance train? I know for certain that the train had WiFi (stickers on the windows), but because I have no idea what standards you all judge by,  I can't say how good it is.

That being said, maybe the reason the Silver Star and similar trains (heritage sleepers and diners) don't have WiFi is because the new Viewliners are coming (almost certainly with WiFi), Amtrak doesn't see the need to upgrade cars they'll be retiring soon (maybe). The Pennsylvanian has Amfleet coach and biz class cars.

Considering that a sleeper, to my way of thinking, is a "q" zone, does one REALLY want wi-fi there?

It's quiet time in coach or sleeper after 22:00 on every train I ride. Plus head phones are required at all times....so trains are quiet the majority of the time night or day.