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In many cases you can get free wifi when there isn't free wifi by tunneling your requests over DNS. Check out iodine for how. I use it to bypass paid wifi hotspots in airports and other similar paces.

It actually varies with the train operator, where you're heading and what class you travel.

That said, you can pick up mobile broadband packages for around $10/month here with 1GB usage which should have coverage for most journeys in to London.

mobile broadband is pretty much useless on a train, at least in my experience on the edinburgh / london train (using a 3 dongle), you pretty much only get a connection when you are pulling into a station

east coast used to be free wifi, I think virgin charge? and crosscountry dont have it at all. damnit now I want this service for uk trains.

I've had the same experiences with all networks on trains, but for what it's worth, 3's mobile broadband is by far the worst in terms of both coverage and speed (from personal experience and that of numerous friends). I'm with vodafone now and they're great (trains excluded).

Some of the bus services have free wifi as well.