Geelong Trains to Offer Free Wi-Fi to Riders
Victoria train riders may soon be able to send emails or surf the Web while on their way to work or home. The state government is considering installing wi-fi transmitters and improving communications on regional trains, according to Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder.
He said the tech upgrade would possibly be tied to a proposed improvement of internal radio communications systems in V/Line.
Besides laptops and smartphones, a number of train passengers have been observed to be using tablet computers since Apple released the iPad. Some passengers said they use the travel time to update their social networking site pages.
However, Mr Mulder stressed the more pressing priority for the coalition government is to add more trips and coaches to provide more seats and space for passengers and improve punctuality and reliability.
Besides the wi-fi, Geelong will also have new work and learning centres to address unemployment in the area which exceeds 10 per cent.
Victoria Premier Ted Baillieu said the state government selected north Geelong to help residents find jobs and have a better future. Among the services that the centres will offer is to prepare job applicants for interviews and improve their CV writing skills.