National Express East Coast railway has witnessed a surge in passengers using Wi-Fi in the month since offering the service for free to all travellers.

Prior to December last year, when National Express took over the line from GNER, only First Class travellers enjoyed Wi-Fi as a complimentary service. Passengers throughout the rest of the train had to spend £4.95 per hour.

But the number of users has increased threefold since offering Wi-Fi for free, from 30,000 a month to more than 100,000 in January.

National Express East Coast's Wi-Fi service picked up 'Innovation of the Year' at last year's National Rail Awards for its pioneering efforts to offer passengers high speed internet access on its train journeys.

According to the company, the free service is used by more than 85 per cent of passengers carrying a laptop.

"The popularity of the service has surpassed our expectations and we are delighted to have had such a positive impact on people's journeys," said Alan Hyde, head of communications at National Express East Coast.

"Anecdotally, major employers along the East Coast route tell us that the addition of Wi-Fi is another reason for them to switch from air to rail, as it is much easier for their employees to stay in touch and keep working while on the move.

"In addition, customers can enjoy the benefit of frequent, city to city services that are comfortable and good value, and more reliable and environmentally-friendly than travelling by air."