Melbourne Trains To Get 4G
Nokia and Vodafone are close to sealing a deal to provide 4G coverage throughout Melbourne’s metro rail network. If the deal goes ahead, as expected, Metro Trains, Public Transport Victoria and VicTrack will score better and faster asset maintenance alerts, better location tracking and arrival times for train services, and high capacity signalling, according to Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas.
But passengers will score, too – at least if they are Vodafone subscribers. They should be able to make and receive calls right across the network.
(Alas, for many passengers, Victoria’s suburban trains don’t yet have “quiet carriages” where mobile phones and music players are forbidden, as they are in Sydney – though they’re available on some Victorian country lines).
Nokia and Vodafone put the plan to the Victorian Government in April last year, under the Government’s “Market-Led Proposals” guidelines, which seek to encourage private sector ideas.