In addition to regular cellular service, emergency 911 calls can also be made by Metro riders. In the event of an emergency, riders are reminded to first contact the train operator via the emergency intercom system located on board trains and on station platforms.
VIA's expanded 4G LTE service, provided in partnership with Verizon and Cradlepoint, is an enhancement over the previous 3G wireless service available on express routes, the Primo route, and 11 transit centers. Now the improved and expanded service is available on all bus routes and VIA properties, and it will also be available on VIAtrans paratransit vans by November 1.
Beginning in September, the service will improve to 4G LTE and will be available on all VIA buses and properties.
The lack of cell phone coverage was exposed most recently after the Jan. 12 smoke incident at L’Enfant Plaza when passengers aboard Yellow Line train No. 302 struggled to connect to 911 as smoke filled the railcars just a few hundred feet south of the station platform.
T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon and Sprint have collectively agreed to fund the entire upgrade related to the design and construction of a next-generation Distributed Antenna System capable of supporting the latest 4G wireless networks and mobile devices on the Chicago Transit Authority's system.
Customers can expect to start receiving service in the 36 stations already online in mid-town Manhattan and Chelsea later this year.
The 25-vehicle fleet removes approximately 250 Verizon trucks from the city’s roads. Overall, the program will save the company more than 70,000 gallons of gasoline yearly and reduce CO2 by more than 645 metric tons.
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