The RAC warned that travel on popular routes could take twice as long as usual, while saying record passenger numbers were expected at Bristol, Newcastle and Edinburgh airports. Network Rail will also carry out engineering work between London Euston and Milton Keynes.
Dylan Donnelly, news reporter
Thursday 28 March 2024 07:50, United Kingdom
Britons are facing a significant delay to their Easter holidays as more than 14 million people are expected to travel by road, airports prepare for record passenger numbers and work takes place on key rail services. You have been warned.
The RAC warned that journeys on popular routes could take twice as long as normal due to the Bank Holiday weekend, which means many schools have a two-week holiday.
Trains will also be halted as Network Rail carries out civil works on the West Coast Main Line, which runs from the capital to Scotland, between London Euston and Milton Keynes.
And at least three major airports have announced that the next few days will be their busiest over the Easter weekend.
Travel expert Simon Calder told Sky News that Bristol, Newcastle and Edinburgh are all forecasting record passenger numbers from Good Friday to Easter Monday, and routes to Geneva will be extremely busy. He said it was possible.
Around two million Britons are expected to fly out over the holiday weekend, with the city of Bristol expecting 30,000 holiday visitors on Easter Sunday alone.
Airports remain busy during the school holidays, with Luton expected to see around 38 passengers arriving every minute on April 5.
Mr Calder said business airports like Heathrow would be under “huge pressure today”, adding that demand had increased due to Easter coming earlier than usual.
“With Easter Sunday on March 31st, many schools are actually dismissing today, putting added pressure on what is already a busy Easter Sunday,” he said.
Gatwick and Southampton will have their busiest day yet on Sunday 7th April.
Image: Around two million Britons are expected to fly out over the holiday weekend. File photo: P.A.
There is no “good time” for railway construction.
The West Coast Main Line will be suspended from Good Friday to Easter Monday, with rail services expected to be disrupted in Glasgow and Huddersfield.
Network Rail's director of network strategy, Laurence Bowman, said earlier this week that “there's never a good time to do the work that needs to be done”, but with reduced commuter numbers over the bank holiday weekend. It gives me an opportunity to work.” Do big jobs that you wouldn't be able to do on a normal weekend. ”
He added: “493 different works are being carried out this Easter, most of it overnight. This includes laying more than 8,000 meters of new rail and This includes the installation of more than 40,000 tonnes of new ballast for this purpose.”
“Carmageddon”
RAC spokeswoman Alice Simpson warned of “potential carmageddon” over the Easter period, saying heavy traffic congestion and “long queues are expected on routes to the usual hotspots”.
“Drivers should be prepared for longer-than-usual trips throughout the weekend,” said Inrix transportation analyst Bob Pichue.
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Image: The West Coast Main Line will be suspended from Good Friday until Easter Monday. File photo: P.A.
worst time to travel
According to research commissioned by RAC and Inrix, 2.6 million trips are planned for Good Friday and around 2.3 million are expected for Easter Saturday and Sunday.
A further 2 million trips are expected on Thursday and Easter Monday, with a further 3.3 million trips scheduled with no clear start date, for a total of around 14.5 million trips. .
Mr. Inrix and Mr. Calder separately predicted that the worst traffic congestion would occur between 2pm and 7pm on Thursday, when holiday travel and regular commuting will mix.
Mr Inrix said the busiest route would be the western section of the M25 between the M23 to Gatwick and the M1 to Hertfordshire, with journeys from 4pm taking more than two hours, more than double the usual time. It added that this is expected.
Mr Inkes said the southbound M5 between Bristol and Taunton and the M3 between the M25 and the south coast could also be congested, with estimated journey times more than double normal.
The survey was conducted by research firm Find Out Now among 2,136 UK adults.
Image: RAC and Inrix say around 2.3 million people are expected to travel on Easter Saturday and Sunday. File photo: P.A.
A yellow weather warning for strong winds remains in place on Thursday, with unstable conditions from Storm Nelson likely to cause further travel disruption.
The Met Office said the warning will apply from 7am to 6pm on Thursday and stretches from places such as St Ives and Penzance in the south-west to Brighton.
Sky News weather producer Christopher England added: “Storm Nelson, with its Spanish name, is expected to bring heavy to prolonged rain into next week, with winds gusting up to 110mph near the English Channel coast. “The situation is likely to remain largely unstable.”
Further delays at Dover
Meanwhile, Britons taking the ferry should be able to board without any major problems, except at the port of Dover, where French border officials will check their passports before leaving the UK.
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“These measures may result in longer border clearance times at the port,” the port said in a statement, noting that France has increased its terrorism alert following the attacks in Moscow.
“Please keep this in mind when going to the port and check with the ferry company regarding arrival times.”
Last year saw significant delays and long lines at the port, with wait times of up to two hours.
From 2023: 'significant' delays for Easter travel
Around 20,000 cars are expected to pass through the port of Dover between Thursday and Easter. To facilitate travel, bus processing facilities have been set up at Western Docks on Thursday and Saturday.
Bus passengers and drivers are processed away from the main port and transferred to the eastern port for a quick passport check before departing on their ferry journey.
