Metrolinx, the transportation authority serving the province of Ontario, is about to Wi-Fi enable the entire GO Transit fleet of vehicles operating in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton areas – a total of 1,475 installations (943 train carriages and 532 buses).
Work to fit the equipment will begin later this year, with the Wi-Fi enabled fleet starting to roll out in spring 2020 and final completion by the end of 2020.
Icomera Canada has been chosen to supply the technology, comprising both equipment and technical support. A wholly owned subsidiary of ENGIE, a multinational green energy and mobility player, Icomera has a strong local presence and the resources to supply an end-to-end Wi-Fi solution that will provide GO Transit’s passengers with an elevated onboard experience.
In addition to onboard Internet connectivity, passengers will be able to spend time on a media channel featuring a wide variety of curated entertainment content, making their trip on GO Transit more enjoyable. Operationally, media content is hosted locally on the vehicle and not streamed directly over the Internet, reducing the cellular data costs typically associated with similar solutions.
This channel also opens new revenue streams through which GO Transit can offset operational expenditures, for example through corporate sponsorship, ads, and regularly updated free media content from selected partners.
Magnus Friberg, Icomera’s senior vice-president for the Americas, commented: “Icomera is proud to be working with Metrolinx and GO Transit to provide this large-scale, passenger-focused solution.
“With 20 years of experience in Internet connectivity solutions for transit, we will enable GO Transit to deliver a Connected Journey that reduces Ontario’s carbon footprint as it closes distances. This is in line with the ambition of Icomera and the ENGIE group to be the world leader in the zero-carbon transition “as a service” for our customers.”
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