Passengers have been told by rail companies not to travel by train this Easter as the closure of major routes will cause chaos . Beleaguered travellers have been warned that ‘ Easter is cancelled ’ as far as trains are concerned and many key services will be axed . On others they face hours of delays , with some journey times quadrupled . Worst affected will be the West Coast main line , where Virgin Trains has told passengers not to bother trying to travel . Scroll down for video . Passengers face travel chaos this Easter as Britain 's busiest rail routes are expected to launch major engineering projects ( file picture ) The West Coast mainline , the Great Western and the Greater Anglia line are all planning works on key routes meaning passengers will face hours on rail replacement services or slower routes . The line between London Euston and Milton Keynes will have a four-day shutdown . On Easter Sunday a 55-minute direct trip from Rugby to London Euston will turn into a marathon lasting four hours and 20 minutes , with two trains and two buses . A Virgin Trains spokesman said : ‘ Easter is effectively cancelled – our line is shut . We ’ re advising people not to travel . ‘ What makes it worse this time is that the alternative routes that passengers might normally switch to are also shut because of the engineering . This is unusual. ’ Failures : Poor planning , equipment failures and communication breakdowns contributed to the Christmas train chaos , including a crush at Finsbury Park ( pictured ) , a report has found . Other services blighted by engineering works include London Midland , which uses the same West Coast line and has issued a similar warning , and swathes of the Great Western and Greater Anglia lines . Virgin services to Manchester and the North West and Birmingham are also badly affected with diversions adding heavily to journeys . Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne apologised for disruption from the £100million works by 14,000 engineering workers , but insisted it was vital . However , the warnings have brought fears of a repeat of the last fiasco endured by 115,000 passengers at Christmas when the key East Coast main line was crippled by overrunning engineering works , prompting a major inquiry , damning rebukes from ministers and watchdogs , and a grovelling apology from rail bosses . Cancellations : The report found that when work near King 's Cross overran the trains were switched to start and finish at Finsbury Park station but 'not enough was done ' to manage passenger flow at the new station . Under a large headline on its website , Virgin Trains warns passengers of the impending Easter chaos with the words : ‘ There ’ s a spanner in the works . Don ’ t get caught in planned improvement works. ’ It said there would not be any trains to or from London Euston , adding : ‘ There won ’ t be any replacement shuttles either , so finding an alternative train service to London will be very difficult. ’ Engineering works on the line between Crewe and Warrington and from Carlisle to Glasgow will ‘ severely reduce services to the North and Scotland ’ , it said . Services are also likely to be ‘ extra busy the day before and after affected days ’ and passengers should book early . West Coast passengers also face major works at Watford Junction from an £81million programme from Network Rail ‘ to improve the ageing infrastructure ’ . Rail bosses say carrying out works during Christmas and Easter is justified as passenger numbers are down by up to 40 per cent because there are far fewer commuters . But ministers have suggested carrying out such works at times other than at Christmas and Easter – such as through the summer – to avoid hitting families travelling during the key holiday periods . Mr Carne said : ‘ We are acutely conscious that many people want to use the railway during the holidays to reunite with their friends and families , which is why the vast majority of the network is running normally over the holiday period , but there will be disruption for some. ’ He insisted that there were ‘ good contingency plans in place ’ while the improvements are carried out .
Virgin tells passengers to avoid travelling on West coast main line . London Euston and Milton Keynes line will have mid - day journeys . Normal 55-minute Rugby - London journeys will take more than four hours . Other services blighted by engineering works include London Midland . Swathes of the north Western and west Anglia are also affected .