PATCO and Comcast said they’ve moved forward on a plan to bring fer free Xfinity WiFi service to all 13 PATCO stations in Philadelphia and South Jersey.

The expansion comes after the companies collaborated on a beta version of the service since last July. WiFi at the PATCO stations is available to both Comcast and non-Comcast customers.

“This partnership between PATCO and Comcast provides a tremendous new service to the thousands of riders who travel on PATCO every day,” PATCO GM John Rink said, in a statement.  “One of the biggest areas of improvement suggested by our riders has been creating better access to Wi-Fi hotspots in our stations, especially our subway facilities. Comcast has been an enthusiastic and supportive partner during the last several months of equipment upgrades and infrastructure enhancements in all 13 of our stations. This is an example of PATCO’s commitment to being responsive to our rider community.”

“Consumers want to be able to connect to the Internet wherever they are and continuing to expand our Xfinity WiFi network, the largest network in the country, is part of our strategy to help them do that,” added Cole Reinwand, VP, Xfinity WiFi for Comcast Cable. “We’re excited to offer free access to Xfinity WiFi service to help keep Philadelphia and New Jersey commuters connected as they travel through PATCO stations.”

Comcast has deployed more than 11 million WiFi access points in various outdoor and indoor public venues and business locations. 

Comcast’s metro WiFi initiative got a lift this week when the operations and maintenance of PATCO’s board endorsed a proposal from the MSO to provide WiFi coverage in all 13 PATCO stations in Philadelphia and New Jersey.

The board will vote on the proposal at its January 21 meeting. If approved, Comcast said it expects to wrap up the project by summer. The resulting network will be offered for free to authenticated Comcast subscribers and to non-subs who register with an email address and accept the service’s terms of use.

PATCO said it’s been working with Comcast on the design of the proposed WiFi system for “several months."

Comcast also provides Xfinity WiFi at transit stations operated by SEPTA and NJ Transit. Comcast’s WiFi network currently covers more than 8 million hotspots, though a significant portion of those are coming way of in-home routers that are emitting a secondary “xfinitywifi” SSID.

“We’re committed to improving our customers’ experience. We have listened to our customers and know that staying connected is important. This demonstrates our commitment to provide the amenities our customers want,” said John Hanson, president of PATCO and CEO of the Delaware River Port Authority,PATCO’s parent company, in a statement.  “WiFi also means enhancement of real time communication to our customers via social media and email travel alerts.”

“We’re excited the Operations and Maintenance Committee of PATCO’s Board selected Comcast and we’re delighted to provide fast, reliable WiFi access to PATCO customers,” added Amalia O’Sullivan, VP of Xfinity Internet, Comcast Cable. “Access to Xfinity WiFi at their train platforms will enable our customers and non-customers alike the ability to surf the net, stream videos and communicate with family and friends for no additional fee thereby saving them money on their wireless bills.”