Frustrated train passengers are due to hold showdown talks with rail bosses on Monday over the length and timing of engineering works on a busy route.

The Aire Valley Rail Users' Group (Avrug) is unhappy about several issues emerging from the pre-Christmas line closures, including the "unsatisfactory" bus replacements.

Now members of the group have arranged a meeting with Network Rail, which carries out engineering work, and Northern Rail, the train operator on the route, to demand assurances that the same problems will not crop up again.

Tim Calow, chairman of Avrug, said: "November weekends normally see our trains packed with people who are going out to do their Christmas shopping. Many passengers arrived at stations expecting a normal train service and were severely disappointed.

"We would like to see blockades for routine track relaying of no more than 30 hours so that normal Saturday services can run."

But Network Rail responded by saying that crucial engineering work could not stop because people wanted to do their Christmas shopping.

A spokesman for the company said: "When do we do the engineering work? We can't just stop work because Christmas happens to fall in the middle of it.

"We are sympathetic, and we work with local authorities and other groups to minimise problems. We apologise for the disruption, but we can't completely stop work throughout November."

The spokesman said Network Rail was working towards introducing new practices to cut the length of line closures.

For example, the company is carrying out pioneering work to slash the time it takes for engineers to renew a complex set of points, with the aim of moving from 54 hours over a weekend to shorter overnight eight-hour sessions.

The project will introduce pre-assembled sets of points, complete with point-operating equipment and heating systems, which can then be transported to site in large pre-assembled modules and quickly re-assembled on site.

Avrug is also unhappy about the level of information provided to passengers about bus replacements, claiming schedules were only available a couple of hours before services were due to run and adding that there were no directions from stations to bus stops.

"We often found passengers waiting on platforms for a non-existent train because computerised passenger information systems and screens on platforms had not been re-programmed," said Mr Calow.

Northern Rail said the meeting would provide a chance to discuss what happened before Christmas and to learn from areas where things did not go as well as they should have.

A spokesman for the company said: "Work does have to take place, but we need to make sure we help customers as much as we can and, hopefully, there will be some lessons to learn for next time."

The meeting, to be held at Northern Rail's Leeds office, will involve the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle line, who have also experienced problems with engineering work.