Motoring organisations have warned of heavy traffic and rail disruption over the bank holiday weekend, with transport analysts predicting congested roads and the year’s busiest day for departing airports. Long-distance rail passengers face delays as engineering work begins on two major routes out of London.
The RAC forecasts an extra 3.4 million leisure car trips on Friday, while the AA says the total number of cars on the road could top 20 million. The worst congestion is expected on the M25 and routes to the south-west, including the A30, A303 and M5, where journeys could take up to an hour longer than usual. Inrix predicts delays on the M25 anticlockwise near the Dartford Crossing and on the south-western flank during the evening rush hour.
Rail passengers on the East Midlands and West Coast main lines face disruption. There will be no trains between London St Pancras and Bedford on Saturday and Sunday, affecting East Midlands Railway and Thameslink services, including those to Luton airport. On the West Coast main line, a reduced service will operate from Saturday until Friday, affecting Avanti intercity trains from London Euston to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, with rail replacement buses required around Coventry.
UK airports are expecting their busiest day for departures this year on Friday, with more than 3,200 flights taking off. Over the four-day weekend, 12,185 departing flights are scheduled, carrying up to 2.2 million passengers, a 4% increase on the early May bank holiday weekend. The most popular destinations include Dublin, Amsterdam, Palma, Alicante and Málaga.
Helen Hamlin, Network Rail’s director of system operations, said: “While the vast majority of the network will remain open for business as usual, we’re encouraging passengers planning to use the railway to check their journeys in advance.” The Met Office forecasts unsettled and wet weather, which could further affect travel.
