The RAC is warning that journeys on popular routes could take twice as long as usual, while Bristol, Newcastle and Edinburgh airports say they are predicting record numbers of passengers. Network Rail will also carry out engineering work between London Euston and Milton Keynes.
By Dylan Donnelly, reporter
Thursday 28 March 2024 07:50, UK
Britons have been warned of long delays on their Easter getaways with more than 14 million journeys expected on the roads, airports prepared for a record number of passengers, and engineering works on key rail services.
The RAC has warned that journeys on popular routes could take twice as long as usual as the bank holiday weekend leads to a two-week holiday for many schools.
Trains are also proposed to be stopped as Network Rail carries out engineering work on the West Coast Main Line – which stretches from the capital to Scotland – between London Euston and Milton Keynes.
And at least three major airports have said the coming days will be their busiest Easter weekend yet.
Travel expert Simon Calder told Sky News that Bristol, Newcastle and Edinburgh are all predicting record passenger numbers from Good Friday to Easter Monday, with routes to Geneva expected to be extremely busy.
Around two million Britons are expected to fly away over the holiday weekend, with Bristol predicts 30,000 vacationers on Easter Sunday alone.
Airports will be busy during the school holidays, with Luton expecting to see around 38 passengers per minute on April 5.
Commercial airports such as Heathrow will see “a lot of pressure today”, according to Mr Calder, who added that the increase in demand was caused by Easter falling earlier than usual.
“With Easter Sunday on March 31, actually a lot of schools break today which puts extra pressure on what would already be a busy Easter,” he said.
Sunday, April 7, Gatwick and Southampton will see their busiest days.
No “good weather” for railway works
The West Coast Main Line will be closed between Good Friday and Easter Monday, with disruption railway services also planned in Glasgow and Huddersfield.
Laurence Bowman, director of network strategy at Network Rail, said earlier this week that “there is never a good time to do the work we have to do”, but explained that lower numbers of commuters at weekends of bank holidays gives them “a chance to do”. doing a big job that we couldn’t do on a normal weekend.”
“We have 493 different pieces of work that will take place this Easter, most of them overnight,” he added, “including the laying of over 8,000 meters of new rail and the laying of over 40,000 tonnes of new ballast to support the tracks “.
‘Carmageddon’
RAC spokeswoman Alice Simpson warned it “could be carmageddon” over Easter and said heavy traffic and “long queues can be expected along routes to the usual hotspots”.
Inrix transportation analyst Bob Pishue also said that “drivers should be prepared for longer-than-normal trips throughout the weekend.”
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The worst time to travel
A survey commissioned by the RAC and Inrix found that 2.6 million journeys are expected on Good Friday, with around 2.3 million journeys planned for Easter Saturday and Sunday.
Another two million trips are expected on Thursday and Easter Monday, and another 3.3 million trips are expected without a clear departure date, for a total of about 14.5 million trips.
Inrix and Mr Calder separately predicted that the worst of the traffic is expected between 2pm and 7pm on Thursday when holiday travel mixes with regular commutes.
Inrix added that the busiest route is expected to be the western section of the M25 between the M23 for Gatwick and the M1 for Hertfordshire where journeys from 4pm are expected to take more than two hours, more than twice as long the usual
The M5 southbound between Bristol and Taunton, and the M3 between the M25 and the south coast are also likely to be congested, according to Inrix, with journey times estimated to be more than double what they normally are.
The survey, by research company Find Out Now, questioned 2,136 adults in the UK.
HA The yellow warning for high winds is also in effect on Thursdaywith unsettled conditions from Storm Nelson likely to further disrupt travel.
The Met Office said the warning applies from 7am to 6am on Thursday and extends from places such as St Ives and Penzance in the South West to Brighton.
Sky News weather producer Christopher England also said: “It will be mostly unsettled next week, with heavier or longer showers and gusts of 70mph near the Channel coast, thanks to Storm Nelson of Spanish name”.
More delays in Dover
Meanwhile, Brits taking ferries should be able to board without too much trouble, with the exception of the Port of Dover where French border staff check passports before leaving the UK.
In a statement, the port indicated France’s terror alert increased after the attack in Moscowsaying: “These measures may increase border processing times at the port.
“Please be aware of this when traveling to the port and check with your ferry operator for arrival times.”
Last year he saw severe delays and long queues at the port with waiting times stretching up to two hours.
From 2023: ‘severe’ delays for Easter journeys
Around 20,000 cars are expected to travel through the port of Dover between Thursday and Easter. A Coach Handling Facility has been set up in the Western Docks for Thursdays and Saturdays in an attempt to ease travel.
Bus passengers and motorists will be processed away from the main port, and then transferred to the Eastern Port for a quick passport check, before embarking on their ferry journey.
