Free wifi for Sydney commuters at Circular Quay Station

Commuters will be able to access free internet while waiting for the train from today under a three month trial taking place at Circular Quay Train Station.

Minister for Transport John Robertson said customers with Wifi-enabled devices will be able to browse the internet and check emails at no cost for the duration of the trial period, scheduled to run until the end of November 2010.

“This is an exciting trial designed to improve train travel for CityRail commuters,” said Mr Robertson.

“Giving people access to Wifi on the platforms will mean that they can check their emails, catch up with friends or get some work done – all from one of our major city train stations.

“The free WiFi will be available on platforms one and two at Circular Quay station for three months from today.

“The free WiFi access includes 20 minutes per device, for a morning and an afternoon session each day – with a download limit of 50 MB.

“Trials and testing have taken place over the past few weeks and we are now ready to open up WiFi services for all commuters at Circular Quay Station for the first time.

“Passengers will be able to access free WiFi from any portable device such as a laptop or smart phone.

“During the trial RailCorp will be seeking feedback to assess the take-up rates and overall response from customers.

“We are hopeful that if this trial proves successful, we may be possible to extend free WiFi services to other stations on the network.”

The trial at Circular Quay Station follows the introduction of free WiFi on the Manly Ferry in June this year.

“The response to the introduction of WiFi on the Manly Ferry has been overwhelming,” said Mr Robertson.

“More than 40,000 commuters have logged on since the new service commenced in June and we are looking forward to see how this might translate to one of our major city train stations.”