Passengers travelling on the New Delhi to Howrah-bound Rajdhani Express train can now use the internet using Wi-Fi free of cost, thanks to the launch of internet service by Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal.

The free service has been launched as a pilot project. The government aims to make Wi-Fi available on Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto express trains by the end of current year.

After launching the service on Tuesday, Mr. Bansal said, "Passengers have welcomed the move. We are moving towards modernisation. Passengers can use their travel time more effectively with Wi-Fi on board."

Depending on the feedback from Wi-Fi users, the Railways Ministry will float tenders to introduce the state-of-the-art internet service in a total of 50 rakes of the premier trains.

The Minister, however, added that the passengers might eventually have to fork out money for using the service. Speaking to reporters, he stated that the service was for free for the time being, but following the completion of pilot project on Kolkata Rajdhani, the government might introduce a nominal cost.

The Railways Ministry has plans to invest around Rs 6.3 crore to roll out Wi-Fi on the aforementioned trains.