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Thousands of rail passengers face Christmas chaos over the busy festive holiday period - and are even being advised not to use a main London to Scotland line – as engineering works cause closures and severe disruption.

Repair work on the West Coast main line means it will be shut between Euston station in London and Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire after the last trains on Christmas Eve until Monday December 29.

It will also be closed between Stafford and Crewe after the last trains on Christmas Eve until Sunday 28 December.

Disruption: The West Coast main line will be shut between Euston station in London and Hemel Hempstead

Rail bosses say the now almost traditional Christmas repair closures are vital as work continues on 'improvements' in the Watford area and between Stafford and Crewe.

To minimise disruption Network Rail and the Virgin Trains and London Midland train companies are advising passengers to avoid the West Coast main line and use alternative routes.

The news comes just days after Sir Richard Branson and transport group Stagecoach – which together run the West Coast train operator - last week controversially won the £3.3bn franchise to run the rival East Coast line and means another unwelcome headache for ministers.

Jim Syddall, acting route managing director for Network Rail, said: 'There is never a good time to carry out this type of work and we have liaised closely with the train operators to plan for it to take place at a traditionally quieter time on the railway.

'We apologise for the inconvenience caused but the work is essential to improve the network and maintain reliable services for the millions of passengers who travel on the West Coast main line every year.'

Another stretch of the West Coast line will be closed between Stafford and Crewe

Travellers are facing a number of disruptions over Christmas and the new year as Network Rail carry out a major engineering programme 

The disruption will affect services out of a number of main London stations, including London Bridge, where there will be a 16-day part closure for work involving the £6.5bn Thameslink programme.

From December 20 to January 4, Southern and Thameslink trains will not call at London Bridge and cross-London Thameslink Bedford-Brighton trains will not return until 2018.

From December 22 to Christmas Eve some Southeastern Charing Cross services will not call at London Bridge in the morning peak.

Paddington will also be affected. Engineering work taking place between Southall and Slough, west of London, means some lines will be closed from 5pm on Christmas Eve until the end of December 28.

There will be a 16-day part closure at London Bridge for work involving the £6.5bn Thameslink programme

Services will also be affected by engineering work is taking place between Slough and Reading West/Tilehurst in Berkshire from December 29 to January 3.

On the weekend of December 27/28 buses will replace trains between Ascot and Aldershot due to engineering work, and there will be disruption between Luton and Sutton and between Blackfriars station in London and Sevenoaks in Kent from December 27 to January 2.

On December 27/28 engineering work taking place between Edge Hill and Earlestown/St Helens Central is closing some lines in north-west England, while buses will replace Arriva Trains Wales trains between Shrewsbury and Hereford from December 27 to 29.

Other areas where engineering work is scheduled over the holiday period include Birmingham New Street and between Cambridge and Ely in East Anglia.

BA has 267 flights scheduled on Christmas Day and 37,000 turkey dinners planned for customers

One train company running trains on Boxing Day, and for the second successive year, is Chiltern Railways which will be operating services between Bicester North and London.

The Southeastern and ScotRail companies will also be running some services on Boxing Day this year and Gatwick Express and Stansted Express trains will operate as well. 

Michael Roberts, director general of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators and Network Rail, said: 'Building a better, safer railway is something we do every day but major holidays are when significantly fewer people travel, and the industry has been working more closely than ever this year to ensure that disruption to passengers is minimised and people are kept on trains wherever possible.

'Fewer than three per cent of services will be on replacement buses this Christmas, and a number of operators will be running services on Boxing Day in response to passenger demand.

'Rail staff will be working around the clock through the Christmas break to lay new track, renew signals, repair bridges and build new platforms, to deliver more and better services for Britain.' 

Meanwhile, it appears more people are preparing to jet abroad over the holidays, as British Airways expects record numbers.

National Express is doubling the number of coach services on Christmas Day as bookings increase

The airline said it will be transporting 2.7 million passengers from December 12 to January 5, including 129,000 on December 19, its busiest day.

BA has 267 flights scheduled on Christmas Day and 37,000 turkey dinners planned for customers.

And it should come as no surprise that the most popular destinations are mostly warm ones – Dubai, Barbados, New York, Australia and Barcelona.

Ryanair is carrying more than 3.5 million passengers between December 20 and January 6, an increase of half a million compared to last year, and its most popular destinations at the Algarve in Portugal, the Canary Islands, Cologne and Prague.

On the roads, National Express is doubling the number of coach services on Christmas Day and operating a near-normal service on Boxing Day.

The company said that advance bookings for the period December 1 to January 4 were 7 per cent up on the 2013/14 festive period.