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.
Indian Railways is now offering free Wi-Fi at 6,115 railway stations across the country, the government told Parliament on Tuesday. This free service is part of the Digital India programme, which aims to reduce the digital gap between cities and rural areas. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha that almost all railway stations now have 4G or 5G mobile network coverage from telecom companies. Passengers can use these networks for internet access, but free Wi-Fi has also been set up at 6,115 stations to make the travel experience better.
With this Wi-Fi, passengers can watch HD videos, download movies or music, and even do office work while waiting for their train.
Along with major stations in Tier 1 cities like New Delhi, Mumbai Central, Chennai Central, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad, the programme also covers many Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
Tier 2 cities such as Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Meerut, and Bhopal are included, as well as Tier 3 cities like Rohtak and Cuttack.
List Of Indian Railway Stations With Free Wi-Fi Service
Some of the prominent railway stations in India where free Wi-Fi is available include: Hazrat Nizamuddin, Anand Vihar Terminal, New Delhi, Delhi Junction, Surat, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Ambala Cantt. Jn., Karnal, Panipat, Rohtak, Gurgaon, Solan, Shimla, Jammu Tawi, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Ranchi, Dhanbad Junction, Mangalore Central, Yesvantpur, Bangarpet, Dharwad, Ernakulam Jn., Kozhikode, Tiruvananthapuram Central, Bhopal, Ujjain, Indore, Mumbai Central, Pune, Kalyan, Bhubaneswar, Puri, Cuttack, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Amritsar, Jalandhar City, Ludhiana, Chennai Central, Kacheguda, Hyderabad, Secunderabad Jn., Allahabad, Gorakhpur Jn., Moradabad, Ghaziabad, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut City, Sealdah, Kharagpur, Barddhaman, Asansol, New Jalpaiguri, and Howrah, among other.
Here’s how to connect to free Wi-Fi at a railway station:
- Switch on Wi-Fi on your smartphone.
- Select the “RailWire” network from the list.
- Enter your mobile number to get a one-time password (OTP) via SMS.
- Type in the OTP to confirm and start using high-speed internet.
The free Wi-Fi service is provided by RailTel, a public sector company under the Ministry of Railways, through its ‘RailWire’ brand. Earlier, RailTel worked with partners like Google and Tata Trusts to expand the project, but now it fully manages and operates RailWire services on its own.
In April, RailTel secured a major contract worth Rs. 90.08 crore from the Institute of Road Transport. Over the past five years, its shares have delivered more than 140 per cent returns to investors.
(With inputs from IANS)
