Free Public WiFi Coming to All Metro Stations

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Four months after a pilot program began to offer free public WiFi at six Metrorail stations in the Washington, D.C., area, Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said Tuesday that he has approved a plan to offer the public access WiFi at all underground stations. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority launched free public WiFi at six Metrorail stations in August as a test.

The free connection lets Metro riders check emails or stream music while they're on the platforms at the system's stations, officials said. “We are listening to our customers’ ideas about ways to improve their experience riding Metro,” Wiedefeld said in an earlier statement. “Having free access to WiFi while on the platforms at Metrorail stations will allow customers to stay better connected while they travel.”

The six stations in the pilot project are Metro Center, Gallery Place, Judiciary Square, Union Station, Archives, and L’Enfant Plaza.

Work to expand the public access WiFi will begin in the summer, with 60 percent of the underground stations online by the end of 2017, Metro said in a statement Tuesday. All stations will be set up with the access in 2018.

»Patch file photo of Metro train