Case Study: South Shore Line increases ridership with free onboard Wi‑Fi from Digi International

Chicago Area Commuter-Rail Agency Turns to Digi to Increase Ridership With Free Internet Access

Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), which carries more than 7,000 riders daily between Northwestern Indiana and downtown Chicago, faced growing passenger demand for reliable onboard Wi‑Fi. Previous vendor proposals were too costly or offered inconsistent service, so the agency needed an affordable, high‑quality solution that would let commuters stay productive during long trips without adding a fee.

NICTD piloted Digi’s TransPort WR44R LTE routers and Digi Device Cloud management on 10 rail cars, using a configurable splash page and optional content controls to deliver free connectivity while preserving onboard system priority. The pilot proved popular—passengers seek out Wi‑Fi‑equipped cars—and NICTD is rolling the solution out to all 82 cars, improving rider satisfaction and perceived ticket value.

South Shore Line

Boris Matakovic

Chief Information Officer