The country's trains performed well in January despite severe storms.

This is according to Network Rail, which has released its latest figures for the period January 5th to February 1st. It found that services achieved a punctuality rating of 89 per cent, compared to 87.3 per cent for the same period the year before.

Heavy rain contributed to what the rail company called a difficult period, with almost 100 trees falling on lines and major landslides causing disruption. Network Rail praised its employees for their tireless work and dedication during this time.

According to its figures, the company was attributable for 60 per cent of all the national delays during this period. This takes into account external factors such as fatalities, which made up 20 per cent of disruptions.

Network Rail states that its punctuality figures are measured by assessing the percentage of trains that arrived at stations within five minutes of their scheduled time for commuter services and ten minutes for those travelling long distances.