Brooklyn Boro

MTA on track to have Wi-Fi in all 279 underground stations by end of year

December 9, 2016 By Scott Enman Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Station signage indicates which stations have Wi-Fi. Photos Courtesy of Transit Wireless
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Commuters will be happy to know that by the end of the year, they will be able to surf the web, check social media and stream music anywhere in the New York City subway system.

In January, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced at a press conference at the New York Transit Museum in Downtown Brooklyn that the MTA would have in-station Wi-Fi installed in all 279 underground subway stations by the end of 2016.

And with less than a month until the end of the year, a source told AMNewYork last week that the MTA is  on track to meet that deadline.

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Cuomo initially said that the MTA would have in-station Wi-Fi in all of the city’s underground stations by the end of 2017, but he announced an accelerated timeline for the end of this year at the press conference.

“Today’s world demands seamless communication, and we challenged the MTA to accelerate implementation of this project because the need for connectivity doesn’t end when riders head underground,” Cuomo said in a statement. “Modernizing the MTA and delivering technology riders need is about setting ambitious goals and meeting challenges head on — and that’s exactly what we’re on track to accomplish here.”

As of Tuesday, 250 stations already had Wi-Fi installed.

“Our goal is to enhance our system through service improvements and modern amenities like Wi-Fi that will improve our customers’ experience,” MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz told the Brooklyn Eagle. “These new customer-friendly initiatives are part of ongoing efforts to embrace innovation and accelerate the deployment of modern technology throughout the MTA system.”

In addition to bringing Wi-Fi to each of the city’s underground subway stations, Cuomo said the city would also be installing countdown clocks, replacing the MetroCard with a mobile payment plan and creating USB ports on subway trains, buses and in stations as part of a larger plan to modernize the New York City transit system.


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