Thursday, August 22, 2024 Travelers across England and Wales are bracing for significant disruptions during the upcoming bank holiday weekend, the last one before Christmas. With extensive rail engineering work scheduled and road traffic expected to reach unprecedented levels, journeys are likely to be more challenging than usual. Three major intercity rail lines connecting London with the rest of the country will face closures and diversions due to planned Network Rail projects.
Engineers will be working on the East and West Coast main lines and the Great Western route through the Severn Tunnel, leading to slower and more complex travel across the region. East Coast Main Line: Work on digital signaling improvements will close the route between London and Peterborough from Saturday evening, August 24, until Monday morning, August 26. This will affect many travelers, particularly those returning south from the Edinburgh Festival.
The last intercity train from London King’s Cross to Newcastle will depart at 9 PM on Saturday, after which the station will close for 35 hours. West Coast Main Line: Travelers hoping to avoid disruptions by switching to the West Coast route will also face delays and cancellations due to ongoing work at various points, including just outside London Euston. The Manchester-London service will be reduced, with journeys extended by 10 minutes or more.
Great Western Route: Those traveling between South Wales and London will experience significantly longer journeys due to the closure of the line between Bristol Parkway and Severn Tunnel Junction on Saturday and Sunday. Trains will be diverted via Gloucester, and the usual two-per-hour service from Cardiff to London Paddington will be cut to one train per hour, with an additional hour added to the travel time. Passengers on Northern Trains in northwest England are also advised to prepare for potential disruptions due to staff shortages.
The state-run train operator has warned of short-notice cancellations, particularly on Sunday, August 25, and urges travelers to check their journeys before setting out. The RAC has forecast a record 19.2 million leisure trips by car between Friday and Monday, marking the highest number since the organization began tracking data in 2015.
Transport analytics specialists at Inrix predict severe delays on both Friday and Saturday, with the worst congestion expected between 10 AM and 6 PM on Friday and from 10 AM to 1 PM on Saturday. The majority of these trips will be day outings, with five out of six respondents in a recent RAC survey indicating they will be using their cars for short trips rather than holidays. Only 10% of drivers plan to embark on longer holidays within the UK or abroad, while 6% will be returning home from vacations.
Traffic is expected to be particularly heavy around festival sites, including Leeds Festival, where routes like the A1, A1(M), M1, M62, and A64 will likely be congested. The A1 southbound between the Kirk Deighton and Bramham interchanges is expected to see journey times double on Friday at lunchtime. Similarly, routes leading to the Reading Festival, such as the M4, M3, and M40, are expected to be heavily impacted.
The RAC also notes that many motorists remain undecided about their travel plans, potentially adding up to 6.2 million additional trips over the long weekend. Air travel is also expected to peak on Friday, August 23, with London Heathrow likely to see the highest passenger numbers.
However, airports more focused on leisure travel will experience their busiest days on Saturday and Sunday. Ferry travel will be equally busy, with the Port of Dover anticipating over 20,000 cars over the bank holiday period. The port’s chief executive, Doug Bannister, has advised travelers to arrive no earlier than two hours before departure to avoid delays.
Drivers are also encouraged to stick to the main approach roads, the A2 and A20, to minimize traffic disruptions. With travel challenges expected across all modes of transport, the advice for those planning to travel this bank holiday weekend is clear: plan ahead, allow extra time for your journey, and be prepared for potential delays. Whether by rail, road, air, or sea, the last bank holiday before Christmas is shaping up to be one of the most challenging travel weekends of the year.
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