For months, travel message boards have been abuzz with rumors of Amtrak's very quiet trial rollout of free WiFi on select Acela Express trains. Now, Amtrak has officially announced that they will finally begin to provide wireless internet access on trains and that fleet upgrades are planned for the future.

In conference calls and a five year financial plan (PDF), the government-owned corporation said that after a review of the early trials, WiFi will be fully launched on Acela Express high speed trains by March. The service will initially be free, though Amtrak says "pricing may change depending on customer response, system performance and costs." WiFi may be extended to other routes in the future.

In addition to free wireless internet, Amtrak CEO Joseph Boardman has said the company plans to upgrade cars and locomotives. "It's time to replace our aging fleet," Boardman said in a conference call.

The upgrades can't come any sooner, as Amtrak faces fierce competition from low cost bus services who increasingly offer free WiFi. Surely, train passengers couldn't help but wonder how JetBlue managed to offer free internet access at 30,000 feet back in 2007, while lowly Amtrak couldn't even get a land-based system off the ground.

Amtrak estimates that internet access will drive ridership and increase revenue by $4.3 million over the next five years. The company plans to spend an additional $26.2 million to add WiFi to other markets, most likely starting with the popular Northeast Regional service.

Dates for fleet upgrades haven't been planned yet but, as you can imagine, depend on financing. "You've got to have money to buy equipment," Boardman said. "We're looking at all options. It's not just the federal government, it is every source of funding which we might have available for the future."

Photo: Flickr/francois