Key Points

The free Wi-Fi service at railway stations is part of the government's Digital India Programme, aimed at bridging the urban-rural digital gap.

"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," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply to a question.

At these stations, passengers can watch HD videos, download entertainment content, and perform office work via free Wi-Fi. To access the Wi-Fi service, passengers have to switch on the Wi-Fi mode on their smartphone and connect to 'RailWire' Wi-Fi. They have to enter their cell number for an SMS OTP and start accessing Wi-Fi.

Apart from all major stations like New Delhi, Mumbai Central, Chennai Central, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, in Tier 1 cities covered in this programme, many Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities are also covered.

Tier 2 cities like Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Meerut, Bhopal, etc, are covered along with tier 3 cities like Rohtak and Cuttack.

The free Wi-Fi at Indian railway stations is provided by RailTel, a public sector undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Railways, using its 'RailWire' brand. RailTel has previously collaborated with organisations such as Google and Tata Trusts to expand the project, but the PSU is now handling the management and access of RailWire on its own.

RailTel in April won a major order worth Rs 90.08 crore from the Institute of Road Transport. Its shares have given over 140 per cent returns to investors over the past five years.

- IANS