CrossCountry, a popular train operator between Cornwall and north-east Scotland, was fined for failure to provide adequate wireless internet.

BDocuments, obtained within the guidelines of the Freedom of Information act, showed that the operator had missed two deadlines outlined by the Department of Transport to meet the requirements under a franchise agreement to offer WiFi to its passengers. The service should have been in effect as of 11 November last year.

When the 11 November deadline passed, the firm was given until the close of January to fulfill the requirements, however, this deadline was also missed. CrossCountry argued, however, that the growing popularity of dongles – a device that connects mobiles to the computer for wireless use, made WiFi on board trains no longer necessary.

A spokesman for the Department of Transport said that action had been taken since the company was in noncompliance with the requirements. Aswhin Kumar, director of Passenger Focus, a consumer watchdog said that the noncompliance by the train operators was disappointing as having WiFi on board trains was an important service for passengers. Mr Kumar said that research shows that, particularly business passengers, value the ability to get work done while on the train.

Additionally, CrossCountry had outlined a specific commitment to providing WiFi in its franchise. A spokesman for the train operator said that the delay was due to technical difficulties where signals on the trains had been weakened by the metallic contents in the windows.