Commuters: Rail Runner Wi-Fi spotty, still useful

The New Mexico Rail Runner opened Wi-Fi access to all passengers for a 90-day trial, but Rail Runner commuters say they have wiped out while trying to surf the Web.
Rail Runner spokeswoman Augusta Meyers said the $2.5 million Internet service contract will be finalized with the provider after the three-month trial. She said administrators want to make sure the system runs properly before making it official.

“We want to hear how the public feels about the service,” Meyers said. “We want to make sure that the system is what we pay for.”
Meyers said the testing period is designed to show patrons what the Wi-Fi service is capable of, and also to see how the system performs with more people using it.
“We want to make sure we tweak any of the problems,” she said.

Train commuter Jules Jurado said he likes to use the Rail Runner Wi-Fi to work on his music.

“It benefits me a lot because I do use the Internet for a lot of different things when I am working on my music,” he said. “So I have really been anticipating it.”
However, Jurado said the service has been unreliable.

“You lose Wi-Fi in the places you would lose reception on your cell phone,” he said.

Train patron Ken Seal said he has also been disappointed by the quality of his connection.
“It is intermittent at best,” he said. “The problem is you don’t have a trustworthy connection for the entire trip. You can download e-mails when you get a signal, but other than that, it is kind of hard to use it.”

Jurado agreed that the service could be difficult to use, and as a result he stopped using the Wi-Fi connection for specific tasks.
“I stopped downloading because it runs pretty slow,” he said.

Jurado said he plans to keep using the Rail Runner Internet connection regardless of hang-ups, because the service is sufficient for many of the things he uses it for.

“It works for me now,” he said. “I am just hoping that they do fix those little glitches that it has.”

Robert Quintana, another Rail Runner commuter who carries his laptop, said he didn’t like using the Wi-Fi because of wavering connectivity.
“It is spotty here and there,” he said. “I lose connection in certain places.”

Quintana said he studies on the train, but instead of streaming his material online, he has opted to order his study materials on DVD.
“I didn’t want to stream the audio or video on the train because it is too slow,” he said. “I knew it just wasn’t going to work.”
Meyers said that many patrons have requested Wi-Fi service, and she is confident the public will be eager to continue using it.

“We serve a long corridor,” she said. “I don’t think we are going to have a problem with people wanting to use it.”
Rail Runner Wi-Fi is free and is available on all trains and at each station.