Rail Passenger Wi-Fi Usage Surpasses Pre-COVID Levels

Icomera published a new report highlighting the trends and challenges shaping the future of passenger transport, and the role connectivity will play in achieving the industry’s overarching goals.

Icomera said it is now seeing record passenger Wi-Fi usage levels on trains – 134% of pre-pandemic levels – as new and returning travellers look to use their journey time more efficiently.

The report looked at factors that will influence the way we travel over the next decade, from pandemics, global conflicts, and climate change, to ageing populations and the blurring of boundaries between the physical and digital worlds, according to Icomera.

“The future of transport will not develop in isolation. It will be important to understand the interplay between every area of smart connected modern living as it evolves” said Paul Barnes, chief marketing officer at Icomera.

Supported by data and insights gathered from transport authorities, operators, and technology companies around the world, the report calls on the transport industry's need to simultaneously pursue three objectives to attract passengers in a post-pandemic world:

1. Catering for the evolving needs of business and leisure commuters, regardless of age or disability.
2. Offering a safe environment that minimizes the spread of disease, and guards against physical and cyber threats to individuals and to wider infrastructure.
3. Achieving the above in a cost-effective and resilient way that also allows the industry to adapt to changing environmental, societal, and economic needs in the future.

The report also examined the potential of other connected applications, based on real-world deployments over the last 24 months:

• Personalized journey information delivered in digital formats accessible to those with hearing or visual impairments, allowing them to travel independently.
• Real-time monitoring of vehicle occupancy levels with AI software-enhanced cameras, making it easier for passengers to choose less-crowded environments to travel in, and feeding back into operators’ fleet and staff capacity planning.
• On-demand remote access to onboard sensor data measuring the condition of infrastructure along a route, supporting a ‘predict and prevent’ maintenance strategy.