Amtrak Late to Station With Onboard WiFi

Amtrak does not offer WiFi on any of its trains. I've blogged that WiFi service is available at some train stations but is not offered when you're actually on the train. I'm seeing a lot of comments recently on the fact that Amtrak lacks WiFi service. It seems WiFi is gaining traction on all forms of transportation from airplanes to buses. I was on the Bolt Bus service recently (another travel option along the NEC) and the bus offered WiFi! The main reason why I took the Bolt Bus was because it was way cheaper than Amtrak, it took about the same time and I figured why not give it a try - I didn't even realize it had free WiFi to boot, another reason to prefer this service over Amtrak for some routes.

I wish Amtrak had WiFi when I was commuting regularly. They need to add WiFi service this year to the fleet (they are testing it on Acela trains), the competition is passing them by offering this service and Amtrak has been seeing ridership decline in 2009. If airlines and buses can add WiFi, it can be done on a train. Amtrak can spend some of that federal stimulus dollars to get this service up an running, without it they'll be at a competitive disadvantage.