Tube customers to be charged for Wi-Fi access from January

Virgin Media has announced plans to start charging London Underground users 2 a day to access its Wi-Fi network.

The broadband provider rolled out free Wi-Fi across 72 London Underground stations during the London 2012 Olympics, which customers can use to access the internet on train platforms.

However, the company has now set out plans to scale back the amount of information Tube users can access for free through its Wi-Fi network in the New Year, limiting it to news stories and TfL travel updates.

Full internet access will only be available for free to Virgin Media, Vodafone and EE customers.

Meanwhile, commuters signed up to other mobile networks will be able to purchase day, week and month-long pay-as-you-go passes starting from 2 a day.

The company has also announced plans to connect a further 20 Tube stations to its Wi-Fi network next month, as well as another 28 in the New Year.

Jon James, executive director of broadband at Virgin Media, said the rollout of free Wi-Fi across the Tube network has been a huge success so far.

"Wi-Fi on London Underground has been an incredible success with over 700,000 people already online and a remarkable million sessions every day."

Gareth Powell, director of strategy and service development for London Underground, added: "Wi-Fi is a great way to keep our Tube customers up-to-date with live travel information and other news and entertainment.

"We are delighted that Virgin Media is giving the majority of Londoners the chance to continue to enjoy WiFi at no extra cost next year and beyond."