VIA Rail Canada officially launched its Wireless Internet (Wi-Fi) access service on board its trains, in several stations and in Panorama lounges in the Québec City-Windsor corridor - a first in North America. The service is being offered starting today to all travellers between Montreal and Québec City and in many VIA 1 class cars
between Montreal-Toronto. By the end of this year, all VIA 1 and Comfort class travellers will be able to access the Internet on all VIA intercity trains in Ontario and Quebec.

In addition to VIA’s WI-Fi service, travellers have access to online bookings and self ticketing kiosks. This will ease the process of travelling at every single step, freeing staff to spend more time serving customers.

VIA will be offering three types of rate plans, adapted to travellers’ needs: a single-use plan, a full-day day plan and a monthly plan. The single-access plan, valid for 15 minutes, costs $3.99 and each additional minute costs $0.30. Full-day access, valid for 24 hours, costs $8.95. Frequent travellers can subscribe to a monthly plan at a cost of $46.

The system combines satellite and cellular communications and the Wi-Fi technology which allows access to the Internet. Thus, travellers using the Wi- Fi service provided by Opti-Fi will be able to take advantage of continuous wireless access on board. Passengers whose computers are equipped with Wi-Fi technology or who use personal digital assistants will automatically have the service available when they turn on their devices.

The Wireless Internet service offered by VIA is the result of a five-year partnership with Parsons, one of the world’s leading engineering and program management firms. Parsons has invested US $10 million in this partnership to implement a network focused on consumers, and offering a range of private and public applications.