Following a successful
three-month competitive pilot and tender process First ScotRail has
awarded Icomera the contract to provide on-train WiFi services on its
Class 170 fleet of trains. The 59 trains, which operate on the busy
Edinburgh-Glasgow route, will be fitted with the award-winning
Icomera X6 mobile access and applications router (MAAR) and a wired
Ethernet network to deliver high speed Internet access to all
passengers onboard.

Scotland’s
Transport Minister, Keith Brown said: ”We have an absolute
commitment to bringing better connectivity to every corner of
Scotland and I have been highly encouraged by the success of ScotRail
pilot scheme.”

”A major challenge for the
transport industry is embracing new technologies to meet the demands
of passengers and help them get on with their ever more busy lives
while travelling.”

”Just
like our roads and railways, the Internet is a vital part of
Scotland’s infrastructure. It is essential that people throughout
Scotland have online access to enable our economy to thrive, which is
why we are already forming plans to further expand WiFi provision
across the rail network.”

Icomera
won the 59-train contract following a competitive tender process,
which included a three-month public pilot of onboard WiFi services
across ScotRail’s route network. Passenger feedback from the pilot
showed that 77% of users were satisfied with the speed and
performance of the WiFi, with personal and business use found to be
72% and 28% respectively.

The
entire Class 170 fleet will be fitted with Icomera’s patented
onboard Internet system on a rolling installation schedule during
2013.

Icomera’s
CEO, Roger Sandén, said: ”Icomera is delighted to have been
selected, following a rigorous tender process, to work with First
ScotRail and Transport for Scotland on this exciting project. Our
experience around the world shows that broadband Internet access
plays a pivotal role in enhancing rail passenger services by ensuring
that travellers can be more productive, better entertained and better
informed during their journeys. We have been offering onboard
Internet services to long-distance Scottish rail passengers on the
East Coast Mainline for eight years but this contract will now bring
the benefits of free WiFi to Scotland’s rail commuter heartlands.”

Pressreleasen kommer från: Newsdesk