The West Coast Main Line will be the focal point for significant engineering works this year, with yet more disruption likely to hit passengers who travel at Easter.

Network Rail said yesterday that it was reviewing its planned engineering programme for Easter as it failed to complete two vital pieces of infrastructure in time for the new year.

“There will be major works at Easter but in the light of what we have learnt from the problems at Christmas, we will be carefully reviewing our Easter schedule to make sure it is realistic and deliverable,” Chris Rumfitt, a spokesman for Network Rail, said.

With Easter earlier than usual this year, train operators need to know as soon as possible what changes are afoot for the West Coast Main Line.

The line will be subject to months of engineering work to make it ready for improvements to the timetable that are scheduled to be introduced in December 2008. The changes will enable Virgin Trains to add two more carriages to each of its trains.

“Most of the major projects we carry out this year will be on the West Coast Main Line and the same areas – around Rugby, Nuneaton and the Trent Valley [which were affected over Christmas] – will be affected,” Mr Rumfitt said.

Work to lay two additional tracks through the Trent Valley will take place most weekends and remodelling of the track around Rugby is expected to cause big disruption. Network Rail is also due to begin construction on a new line in Scotland between Airdrie and Bathgate.

The huge programme of work that Network Rail has to get through this year is already worrying train operators. They fear that it will jeopardise a revival of the railway, which is experiencing record growth in passenger numbers. Network Rail is planning almost £10 billion of investment over the next five years to cope with rising demand from passengers and freight users. Key schemes include the Thameslink upgrade, the Glasgow airport link and the redevelopment or remodelling of Reading, King’s Cross and Birmingham New Street stations.

However, the company is already aware that it faces an acute shortage of qualified staff to tackle the ambitious programme of works. It is competing for the services of about 1,000 qualified engineers with other key infrastructure projects, such as preparations for the 2012 Olympics.

It is already working with universities to take many of their 2009-10 graduates, when demand will hit a peak. The investment plans have been drawn up in response to the Government’s ambitions for the rail network, which were disclosed in July last year.

The Government said that it wanted a bigger, safer, greener and more punctual network. In the longer term – by 2030 – it wants the rail network to be able to handle double the current level of passengers.

However, train operating companies were left questioning Network Rail’s project management reputation as the problems on the West Coast Main Line looked likely to spill over into the weekend.

“This is very bad for the reputation of the railway and the West Coast Main Line,” George Muir, the director general of the Association of Train Operating Companies, said.

“More worryingly, there is such a mountain of work to be done by Network Rail this year. I’m not saying they have an easy job but they have to get it right,” he added.

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