Rail travellers suffered a slower than usual start to their day as communication problems dogged the morning rush.

It also emerged that a failure of radio communications for train drivers to their base wasn't the only such breakdown, as senior rail staff were unable to locate their own 'flagship' cross-border service at one stage.

Technical problems - not due to the weather - caused delays on all Northern Ireland train services on Tuesday morning.

The cross-border Enterprise service was severely delayed, but running.

It was reported that BBC Radio Ulster listeners contacted the station to pinpoint the whereabouts of the two 'express' trains on route from Belfast to the Irish capital this morning.

During an interview, a Translink spokeswoman said: "Due to radio communication problems, rail services are affected across the network" and while apologising for "the inconvenience caused" was unable to say where the two morning departures actually were.

A short time later, text messages from Radio Ulster listeners relayed the information the company was unable to discover, and said one was leaving Lisburn and the other near Newry.

Meanwhile, there was relief as the snow falls on higher ground last night - especially across the eastern part of Northern Ireland - failed to disrupt the roads. Commuters benefited from early morning rain which washed most of the snow away.

Motorists were still being urged to be vigilant, however, due to the possibility of black ice.

In Great Britain, the main hubs - including Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports - are all still expecting "significant delays and cancellations".

This will be the second consecutive day of disruption, which left many Ulster commuters unable to travel.

While England is being crippled by severe overnight snowfalls, the Irish Republic has also been battling both snow and with the impact of flooding yesterday.

See: Commuters Face Delays As Big Freeze Continues

(BMcC/JM)