RAIL passengers are being told to avoid travelling over this weekend, with one train operator warning "Easter is effectively cancelled".

Engineering work is expected to cause major disruption for travellers between Good Friday and Easter Monday, with many routes closed completely and journey times being increased four-fold elsewhere.

One of the most disrupted routes will be the London to Scotland West Coast main line, with improvement work being carried out between Carlisle and Glasgow and Crewe and Warrington.

This is predicted to lead to increased traffic on the roads, with many routes expected to be busier than usual as people set off on their Easter getaways.

A Virgin Trains spokesman reportedly 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."

The spokesman warned that services in Scotland and the North of England will be "severely reduced", adding: "We strongly recommend that you do not travel on these dates."

The operator added there is also likely to be a knock on effect on the days before and after the work with increased passenger numbers on those dates.

Network Rail say the improvements are taking place over Easter as there is usually a 20 to 40 per cent drop in passenger numbers over this period.

The work involves the installation of new station facilities, new platforms, new junctions and thousands of pieces of new equipment as part of an on-going programme.

Mark Carne, Network Rail chief executive, said: "Our improvement programme this Easter, delivered by a 14,000 strong army of rail workers, is focussed on delivering a better service for passengers.

"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.

"I'd like to apologise to any passengers whose plans are affected by our improvement work, but I hope they will understand that this is a quieter time on the railway and we want to minimise the overall impact of these vital projects on passengers."

The pressure will be on Network Rail to ensure its big engineering programme finishes on time. Last Christmas there was travel chaos in north London after work at King's Cross and at Paddington stations overran.

Meanwhile on the roads, the RAC has said as many as 16 million motorists are likely to take to the roads over Easter.

The breakdown firm estimates that four million will be travelling on Good Friday and around 4.5 million will be on the road on Easter Sunday.

RAC head of external affairs Pete Williams said: "The first spring bank holiday of the year traditionally heralds the start of busier weekends on the nation's roads.

"This Easter is set to be a hectic one with 16 million of us getting behind the wheel for an Easter break, but at least we will benefit from the longer days and lighter evenings to complete our journeys."

Traffic information company Inrix is also predicting that congestion hotspots could be twice as busy as last Easter, with the busiest days expected to be Thursday, Good Friday and East Monday.

Inrix traffic analyst Greg Hallsworth said: "For those planning an Easter weekend getaway, our advice is to check before you travel.

"With rail closures, diversions and huge numbers of vehicles on the roads, many routes will be busier than usual."

However, while transport delays could bring misery for travellers over Easter, the Met Office has confirmed that weather conditions will begin to improve by the end of the week.

After a week of blustery, heavy showers and low temperatures - even bringing some snow in the north of Scotland - things will begin to settle down by the weekend.

Met Office forecaster Gregory Wolverson said: "On Good Friday there will be quite a lot of cloud around for the West and South of Scotland, while the North and East of the country is likely to see the best of the sunshine.

"Going into the weekend, things continue to settle down and while there will still be a fair amount of cloud around, there will be some brighter spells."