Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, has expressed concern over the scale of train cancellations amid that fears rail operators are succumbing to storm “hype”.

Swathes of the rail network were shut down again on Monday after Storm Franklin lashed much of Northern England and Wales, causing travel chaos.

Huw Merriman, the chairman of the transport select committee, on Monday wrote to the rail minister to seek assurances that more trains were not being cancelled since the decision to name storms was taken in 2015.

Wind speeds in Wales and Northern Ireland reached almost 80 miles per hour, peaking during rush hour, while flooding forced the emergency evacuation of residents from Ironbridge, in Shropshire, and left the train station in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, submerged.

Franklin, the third named storm just days after Dudley and Eunice, prompted a number of rail companies including Northern Rail, South Western Railway and Southeastern to issue “do not travel” notices.

Network Rail imposed a 50mph speed reduction across most of the network, while South Western Railway said it had cleared more than 50 trees since Friday. In total, 23 rail operators cancelled or delayed services on Monday.