The infrastructure firm has warned passengers to expect disruption during the £100m Easter works programme, but hopes to avoid a re-run of its over-running Christmas shutdown at two key points on the network.

Over the Easter weekend, Network Rail said it aims to deliver 270 projects, via 1000 worksites across 308 possessions.

Several of these will be high profile and challenging especially the signalling enhancements at West Slough and Reading.

Following the Christmas overruns contingency planning has been stepped up and huge focus was being given to the top 60 highest risk projects.

New station facilities, new platforms, new junctions and thousands of pieces of new, more reliable, equipment will be installed and delivered in a continuing investment and improvement programme over the four days of Easter, when passenger numbers drop by 20% to 40% compared to normal.

Mark Carne, Network Rail chief executive, said that the Highways Agency, Network Rail and other key transport providers are coordinating their transport provision to ensure Britain keeps moving this Easter and passengers should check with travel websites for details when planning their journeys

He added: “We have thoroughly reviewed our Easter improvement work and worked closely with the train operating companies. The industry has good contingency plans in place that will put passengers first.”

Major Easter schemes

• LondonBridge: Continuing our work to transform the station carrying out improvements to track, signalling and platforms as part of the £6.5bn programme to upgrade both the station and the entire route

• Reading: New freight lines will be built under the Reading viaduct to completely separate passenger and freight services, enabling all those travelling on this route to experience smoother, faster journeys into and through Reading. An entire new signalling system is also being brought on-line replacing the existing one that has brought the route to a halt almost half a dozen times in the recent past

•  Watford: Easter will provide a unique opportunity to replace a worn-out bridge, south of the station. The new bridge will enable line speeds to be increased. The team, as part of the £81m scheme will also be replacing old and tired track, signalling and junctions

• London Liverpool Street: Essential improvements to provide a better, more reliable railway for passengers on the line from London Liverpool Street to Norwich will take place over Easter with new overhead lines installed at Chadwell Heath, Romford and Ilford on the main line