Wifi

Capitol Corridor Wireless Network
Updated January 20, 2011

Big News!

The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) finally has funding for a wireless network on our corridor!

By the end of 2011, the CCJPA will be able to provide our passengers’ number one requested amenity: free wireless internet access on our trains. The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) wireless project is funded thanks to a recent decision by the California Transportation Commission (CTC). At its January meeting the CTC approved to allow $3.75 million in cost savings from one Capitol Corridor project to be used to fund an on-board wireless system.

Given today’s challenges in securing public financing, the CCJPA appreciates the CTC’s decision to use these cost savings to install our long-awaited wireless program. Business model forecasts indicate that offering free wireless internet service on our trains will attract more riders, thereby increasing system ridership and revenue. This is a winning scenario for the communities we serve because more people on trains mean fewer cars on the road and cleaner air.

Partnering with Amtrak Resolves Past Challenges

This triumph took the efforts of not just the CCJPA, but Amtrak and Caltrans as well. Looking back, our long-standing procurement issues were solved when we joined forces with Amtrak on their national wireless network procurement. We were pleased to be part of its procurement team and collectively went through a rigorous process to select a qualified vendor who could understand the needs of Amtrak and its operating partners. Many of the specifications Amtrak used were built upon CCJPA’s prior procurement work. After Amtrak’s very positive experience on their Acela wireless network deployment, they were positioned to move ahead to obtain a vendor who would, in essence, set a common standard across the nation on routes where Amtrak operates. The Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin both stood to benefit once funding was acquired since our rolling stock fleet is shared. And on a related note, the Pacific Surfliner service, which is administered by Caltrans, was already funded from another source. As timing has it, working with Caltrans and Amtrak, we are now able to implement wireless networks on all of California’s State Intercity Passenger Rail services in nearly the same time frame. CCJPA, Caltrans and Amtrak are enthusiastically looking forward to working with the contractor to purse an aggressive schedule in order to provide our customers with free, wireless internet service by the end of 2011.

Thank you for your patience!

After such a long process from the early days of testing, to the maturation of business models and technology, to the seemingly endless search for capital funding, we, like many of you, wondered when we’d see WiFi on board Capitol Corridor trains. The CTC’s action is a tremendous boost to this project and brings us closer to this vision. So many of our customers have asked for “WiFi on the trains” and we wanted very badly to say “here it is.” Thanks to the CTC, we are a giant step closer. By this time next year, we expect that not only will you see it and believe it - you'll be using it too! We appreciate your patience.

For those interested in some of our prior documents used in our Wireless Network RFQ, we are maintaining those over to the right side of this page. These are not officially in use any longer but they serve as good reference points as to what CCJPA sought for our customers (and for Amtrak and CCJPA’s use).

Prior documents from CCJPA's Wireless Network RFQ

These documents are not officially in use any longer, but they serve as good reference points as to what CCJPA sought for our customers.

Pre-Submittal Meeting

Attendees (In-Person and Webinar), May 27, 2009 Word [128kb] - This is a list of attendees from the May 27, 2009 Pre-Submittal Meeting, both in-person and via webinar.

Presentation (slides with audio), May 27, 2009 Windows Media File [105mb] - This is a Windows Media file of the May 27, 2009 Pre-Submittal Meeting (screen shots and audio). To view this file using Windows Media Player, you may be required to install the GoToMeeting codec. As stated during the meeting, the answers provided on the audio track are provisionary. For answers to questions, please see the Q&A Document below.

Q&A Document UPDATED June 12, 2009 Word [1.2mb]. For those having trouble with the embedded PDF link in this document, please use this link: Q&A Document - Question #22 PDF Document [810kb]

Pre-Submission Presentation (slides), May 27, 2009 PDF [size 1.2mb]

Required RFQ And Associated Documents

RFQ document - Word [3.8m] | PDF [2.92m]
Quotations form - Excel [103kb]
Submissions Template - Word [190kb]
RFQ Press Release - PDF [size 90kb]
Miscellaneous - Caltrans rail car documentation and reader file for AutoCAD files [750m]. This file is VERY large. It contains PDF, CAD files, and a free CAD reader. These are drawings and specifications for various rail equipment cars in the Northern California fleet and are for reference only, as being mentioned in the RFQ, and are not expected to be crucial to the development of RFQ responses.