Rail passengers are facing travel disruption over the Christmas period because of engineering works on lines in and out of London, Manchester and Cardiff as well as on the line for the Heathrow Express.

Since Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, the travel rush is expected to be on the Thursday and Friday before. Those leaving it till the last minute will find their getaway hindered because many works will begin on Christmas Eve – including at one that affects hundreds of services in and out of London Paddington, such as the Heathrow Express.

The station will close from December 24 because of work on the Crossrail link. The Heathrow Express will be completely suspended for those six days, while Great Western Railway trains, including trains to Bristol and Cardiff, will be running from Ealing Broadway, with exception of Christmas Day and Boxing Day when there are no services. A free shuttle service will connect the Heathrow terminals during the shutdown.

London Liverpool Street and lines to East Anglia will be affected for even longer, from December 24 until January 2, with rail diversions and the replacement buses in place to allow for work on signalling, track and overhead power lines.

South of the capital travellers, who have already tormented by months of train cancellations and delays because of the long-running industrial dispute on Southern rail, face further problems because of work at New Cross as part of the Thameslink improvement programme. No Southeastern trains will run into London Bridge or Charing Cross from December 24 to 28, apart from the Hastings service which will be diverted to London Bridge. South West train services will be affected by work at Clapham Junction.

In Wales on Christmas Eve there will be no late night services between Cardiff Central and Bridgend, Newport and the Valleys because of track and signalling work, and further disruption over the New Year weekend.

In Manchester work on creating the new link between the city’s main rail stations will mean diversions and replacement buses on Oxford Road services between December 18 and 28.

All travellers are urged to plan their journeys in advance, through the National Rail Enquiries website.

The Highways Agency has not yet issued a list of Christmas roadworks, but work is scheduled to continue over the period on stretches of the M1 and M6 among other motorways.

Phil Hufton, National Rail’s managing director for England and Wales, said the larger upgrade works were scheduled over bank holiday weekends, when passenger numbers fall by 50%.”

“There’s never a good time to impact on journeys and I’d like to thank passengers in advance for their patience.”

He added: “Despite our essential upgrades, the vast majority of the rail network - more than 95% - remains unaffected and will be open for business as usual. This vital investment will make the railway more reliable for years to come, while improving journeys for thousands of passengers. “

Andy McDonald, the shadow transport secretary, said: “In opposition the Tories slammed the closure of lines over Christmas for engineering works, but now they’re in a position to do something about it they don’t seem to care. The hypocrisy is astounding.

“Engineering works are a necessity and they have to happen sometime, but the government must ensure we don’t see a repeat of the chaos and overruns of previous years.”

Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader, said the Christmas disruption would be an “utter nightmare” for travellers. “This is a time of year when people want to be with family and travel long distances to be with loved ones,” he said. “These works threaten to put this at risk and leave passengers stranded on platforms around Christmas for hours. The government needs to get a grip.”

