13 WTHR - Indianapolis News |South Shore to test wireless access

South Shore to test wireless access

Chesterton, January 30, 2006 (AP) - Commuters on the South Shore rail system may soon be able to use their laptop computers, cell phones, PDAs and satellite radios while riding the line between South Bend and Chicago.
     
Officials at the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District said Friday they were working on a deal to bring wireless service to commuters through the same technology used for communication in NASCAR racing.
     
Riders would be able to access wireless service through a mesh network managed by Concourse Communications Group, LLC, of Chicago, said Gerry Hanas, South Shore's general manager.
     
The service will be tested for 60 days, from April through June, on a seven-mile stretch from Dune Park to Ogden Dunes.
     
"We're pretty optimistic it will work for us," said NICTD spokesman Boris Matakovic. "If performance is good, we'll end up wiring the entire railroad."
     
The South Shore line would be the first commuter rail line in the nation to offer the service if the test is successful, he said.
     
"The Achilles' heel is speed," Matakovic said. "There is a lot of territory where the train goes 80 mph. Most technologies can't do it at that speed."
     
One access point would be set up in each car, using NICTD'S existing fiber optics. Commuters would contract with their own providers for service, though the rail system would provide the service on the train for a daily, weekly or monthly charge, Matakovic said.
      
      (Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)