České dráhy (ČD) is expanding the wi-fi connection on board its trains. Newly ordered carriages are already equipped with wireless internet from the manufacturer, but the retroactive installation of wi-fi is also taking place in older carriages. The price per train is in the hundreds of thousands.
Around 1,700 ČD connections are currently equipped with Wi-Fi. These include all commercial connections and selected so-called commitment connections ordered by the Ministry of Transport or regions.
“At present, wi-fi is being installed, for example, in the units of 471 CityElefant series, of which there are 82, and they provide regional transport to a significant extent in the Prague Integrated Transport area and the Ostrava region,” Petr Šťáhlavský, spokesman for the company, said.
In addition, the carrier has issued a tender for the installation of the Internet also in motor and connecting cars on non-electrified lines and two types of fast train cars. From 2020 to 2022, it has allocated more than CZK 170 million for investments in wi-fi.
“In cooperation with foreign partners, wi-fi is also provided in carriages of foreign railways in the Czech Republic and vice versa in ČD carriages abroad,” Šťáhlavský added.