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MTA Celebrates Wi-Fi Milestone With Free 'Subway Reads'

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The subway system is celebrating a technological milestone by giving riders free reads.

For the first time, free Wi-Fi is available in more than 175 underground stations.

To celebrate, the MTA, Transit Wireless and Penguin Random House are giving riders free access to excerpts from 175 e-books, and five short stories to read while they ride.

Straphangers can start reading by connecting to TransitWirelessWiFi at any wireless-enabled station.

"Bringing Wi-Fi into underground stations helps riders stay connected throughout their commute, allowing them to check in with friends or family and access news or entertainment," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

The "Subway Reads" promotion will last eight weeks and "is a fun way to introduce riders to the new Wi-Fi experience," Cuomo added.

"For millions of New Yorkers, having a few minutes to get lost in a great book is one of the true pleasures of riding the subway." Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle said. "This fun promotion provides commuters with a new twist on that classic – and classically New York – pastime, with great short fiction, and the chance to access extensive samples of some of the very best, and most entertaining books in the world."

Riders can try out works by Lee Child, Walt Whitman, Ron Chernow, Toni Morrison and more. They can also make a selection based on the length of their commute with the "Read Time" feature. To see the full list of titles, visit SubwayReadsNY.com.

The MTA plans to have all 278 underground subway stations connected to Wi-Fi by December.

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