said by Guspaz:Wifi on trains is a bit questionable now that everybody has tetherable smartphones...
Simply not true. And even among those who do, not all are willing or able to pay extra to enable tethering... AND of those who do THAT, there's a cap with extra charges for going over the cap.
So if you're traveling by train, sometimes it makes sense to take advantage of the free wifi, which despite the limitations, can sometimes be good for checking e-mail or web browsing without dipping into your own capped plan.
Not to mention, since the system relies on the same networks as those tetherable smartphones, if the cell network cuts out for the train Wifi, it's probably in no better shape for your smartphone.