No Net on many FrontRunner trains

About half of the FrontRunner commuter-rail trains do not have Internet service these days.

In the past week, the Utah Transportation Authority has experienced an equipment failure on two or three of the five trains that normally run on the system, UTA spokesman Gerry Carpenter said.

The Internet works from the cab car, or rear car, of each train, picking up signals from towers along the track. It's the equipment on the cabs that is down, Carpenter said.

UTA is working with the company that sold it the equipment to fix the problem, he said.

"They're issues we're aware of and are working to address," Carpenter said. "Hopefully, we'll get them fixed shortly."

Some commuters begin their workdays on the train, using laptop computers to access Internet and e-mail. With the Internet down, they say they are unable to work.

"I take the train, too, and I try to get on and am frustrated," Carpenter said. "I share their frustration."

— Laura Hancock