The MTA is testing Wi-Fi inside its subway cars

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is racing to install wireless internet throughout its entire system by the end of the year, is now testing Wi-Fi on its subway cars too, according to NY1. The test is still in very early stages and only available in four cars along the E line, which runs between Manhattan and Queens. However, it’s the first sign that New York City commuters may soon be able to stream music, check their email, or conduct loud, obtrusive phone conversations, all while speeding through underground tunnels.

That frighting future may still be a ways off, as NY1 says the E train’s Wi-Fi signal “wasn’t all there.” The MTA said testing would continue through June 7th, but wouldn’t say what — if any — other tests it would be conducting. Today, Wi-Fi and cellular service is only accessible in about half of the city’s 278 underground stations. Last December, Governor Andrew Cuomo said the goal was to have the entire system hooked up by the end of 2016.

The test is part of a broader facelift by the MTA, which has said it will purchase a new fleet of city buses equipped with Wi-Fi, USB charging ports, and LCD information screens. At the time, Cuomo, a self-described gearhead, compared the new buses to Ferraris.