Rail unions were left seething yesterday after coalition beancounters clawed back more than £53 million from Network Rail to subsidise free wifi.

The Office of Rail Regulators chief executive Richard Price said it had levied the £53.1m fine in light of Network Rail falling “significantly short” of punctuality targets — with all cash earmarked for boosting wifi signals on private operators’ trains.

The body reported 86.9 per cent of long-distance services arriving on time last year, against a target of 92 per cent.