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The vast majority of people travelling by train this weekend will be unaffected by improvement works, with almost 30%  fewer rail replacement bus services compared to last year.

Network Rail engineers will be working round the clock to lay new track, repair bridges, update signalling systems and overhead power lines to help deliver a better railway for passengers.

Figures from the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and Network Rail show that:

- There will be more than 1,400 fewer replacement buses than the 2009 August Bank Holiday, which represents a 29% reduction.
- 93% of services across Britain will run without rail replacement buses.
- Routes between all but a few of the UK^s cities and main towns remain open with no bus replacement services.
- Routes from major towns and cities to the UK^s main holiday destinations will remain open.

Michael Roberts, chief executive of ATOC said: ^The vast majority of people travelling by train should experience no disruption whatsoever because of improvement work this weekend and even fewer will have to get onto a replacement bus. Millions of pounds are spent all year round by train companies and Network Rail to help build on the current record levels of punctuality and customer satisfaction.

^Travelling by train allows you to read a book, take in the scenery or just sit back and relax in a way that you simply can^t do when you^re behind the wheel of a car.^

Robin Gisby, director of operations and customer service for Network Rail said: ^Passengers tell us that they would rather take another train or stay on one for longer than get on a bus, so we^ve listened and there will be significantly fewer replacement buses than this time last year.

^Bank Holidays and weekends remain the best time to complete vital improvement works, which will ultimately make people^s journeys better, as fewer people travel during this time compared to the traditional working week. However, Britain relies on rail seven days a week for tourism, personal travel and business, and so we^re working to help reduce disruption during the weekend as well.^

In a recent You Gov poll about holiday travel, almost a third of people (31%) who took at least one holiday in in the U.K. in the last five years travelled to and from their destination by train.  The survey also found:

Of those that had travelled by car:

-       59% got stuck in a traffic jam

-       21% got lost

-       44% got stuck behind a slow moving tractor

Of those that travelled by rail:

-       46% said one of the best things about the journey was being able to stretch your legs

-       40% said it was how quick the journey was

-       66% said it was the scenery from the train window

-       65% said it was being able to read a book or newspaper

-       7% said it was being able to watch a DVD

Bank holiday train journeys will take up to three hours longer

Rail passengers on some of Britain's key lines face huge delays with journeys take three hours more than normal because of engineering. Network Rail is using the Bank Holiday weekend to carry out engineering schemes on five of the seven major routes.

Worst hit will be those using the West Coast Main Line from Euston to Glasgow via the West Midlands and north west England. This is largely because of a major scheme at Rugby - where overunning engineering works in 2007 created havoc and led to Network Rail being fined ^14 million.

On Sunday there will be other works on the line at Bletchley and Wolverton, and Willesden Junction and Wembley Central. There will also be disruption on the lines from London to Edinburgh, Nottingham and East Anglia.

Network Rail said it has no alternative but to carry out the works over a Bank Holiday when demand is lightest.

But for some pasengers normally routine journeys will involve a lengthy trek with numerous changes, diversions and replacement buses. Somebody travelling between London and Liverpool will see a journey which would normally last two hours 28 minutes take just under six hours and entail up to five changes. A trip from London to Manchester will take up to four hours and 36 minutes, more than double the normal time of two hours and seven minutes. Services into London Liverpool Street will also be hit by engineering work, which will make journeys to and from East Anglia up to an hour longer.

The small crumb of comfort is that work which would have been spread out over the entire Bank Holiday weekend is now being concentrated on Sunday, which is the quietest of the three.

A spokesman for Virgin Trains said. "This is very big work they have to do. We have had many weekends without disruption. But a Bank Holiday Sunday is much quieter than a normal, so probably this is the least damaging time to make real progress on much needed improvements."

Ashwin Kumar, Passenger Focus rail director, said: ^Passengers understand that to ensure a safe, reliable and well maintained railway, engineering works are unavoidable. The moves we have seen this weekend towards keeping passengers on trains by diverting around engineering works are a positive step but the industry needs to go further and make these initiatives standard practice.

A Network Rail spokesman defended the works.

"Over the bank holiday Network Rail will be working hard to deliver a bigger and better railway on which Britain relies. Over 93 per cent of all services will be unaffected by bus replacements - there are 29 per cent fewer bus replacements services compared to last year's August bank holiday. We schedule the work - with the agreement of train operators - when it will inconvenience the fewest number of people. When more people are travelling over the weekend - on Saturday and Monday - normal services will run between Liverpool and London. When demand is lowest, on Sunday some services will be altered. To pick one or two altered services out of the thousands of unaffected ones is to paint an extremely misleading picture to passengers. It may take more time, but it will certainly quicker and more comfortable than travelling by car."

The small crumb of comfort is that work which would have been spread out over the entire Bank Holiday weekend is now being concentrated on Sunday, which is the quietest of the three.

A Network Rail spokesman defended the works.

"Over the bank holiday Network Rail will be working hard to deliver a bigger and better railway on which Britain relies. Over 93 per cent of all services will be unaffected by bus replacements - there are 29 per cent fewer bus replacements services compared to last year's August bank holiday. We schedule the work - with the agreement of train operators - when it will inconvenience the fewest number of people. When more people are travelling over the weekend - on Saturday and Monday - normal services will run between Liverpool and London. When demand is lowest, on Sunday some services will be altered. To pick one or two altered services out of the thousands of unaffected ones is to paint an extremely misleading picture to passengers. It may take more time, but it will certainly quicker and more comfortable than travelling by car."