Good news for commuters and residents of nearby short term rentals like the AMLI: the Clark & Lake Blue Line Stop in Downtown Chicago now has free WiFi. That’s right,it doesn’t cost anything,and it’s high-speed too.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel announced the new Blue Line perk earlier this month in Chicago,and regular commuters from around the city voiced their pleasure with the unexpected service. The Mayor also mentioned that the service would indeed be fast enough to download media. If you’ve ever been in The Loop on your way to O’Hare International Airport and wishing you had thought to download some Netflix movies before your trip,today is your lucky day – you can do it on the commute now.
As the good news spread,Chicago residents wondered if that would be the only station getting special treatment. But that question was soon answered by the city,who soon confirmed that three more stations,Washington,Jackson and Monroe,would get the special treatment as well.
It’s only been about 3 years since the city brought 4G service to 22 miles of the CTA tracks,a $32 million project that was mostly funded by wireless networks across the country. The addition to the trains changed the way commuters used their devices,and aside from a few standard service hiccups,has been widely applauded by commuters and officials alike.
Because of the 2015 upgrade that primarily benefited commuters and residents of nearby temporary housing,the infrastructure was already in place to add WiFi to the mix,which made it that much easier for city officials to sign on to the plan.
Now that there will be WiFi on the train,will more people start bringing their work with them on the road? Will people set up little desks and take office calls while packed trains rush by during the morning commute? Only time will tell – but we hope not.