Image

Drivers and train passengers warned of disruption this Easter weekend

Drivers and train passengers warned of disruption this Easter weekend

Drivers are being warned to expect delays on what is predicted to be the busiest day for road travel of the Easter weekend.

The RAC estimates around 4.62 million journeys by car are likely across the UK on Good Friday with a record total of 21.46 million trips over the bank holiday.

Rod Dennis from the RAC advised drivers to set off early, with roads forecast to get busier towards the middle of the day.

“Expect your journey, especially if you’re going any distance, to take longer than it normally would,” he told the BBC’s Today programme.

After two years of quiet Easter bank holidays due to Covid restrictions, Mr Dennis said: “It’s very possible this weekend could turn out to be one of the busiest for leisure journeys for many years”.

Rail passengers are also facing delays and cancellations, with Network Rail carrying out 530 engineering projects across the bank holiday weekend, costing a total of £83m.

No trains will run in or out of Euston station in London until the end of Monday on the West Coast main line, which is likely to disrupt football fans going to the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley.

Alternative services are expected to be busy and Network Rail has advised people to travel either side of the bank holiday.

Disruption is also continuing at the Port of Dover as P&O Ferries’ Dover-Calais services remain suspended.

Two of the company’s ferries which normally serve the route have been detained after they failed safety inspections.

Airports are also expected to be busy, with many people taking the opportunity to head abroad for the first time since Covid travel restrictions were lifted.

More than 9,000 flights are scheduled to depart from UK airports between Good Friday and Easter Monday, according to aviation data firm Cirium.

Some travellers have faced long queues at airports and cancelled flights over the Easter holidays, with staff shortages and Covid-related absences blamed for the disruption.

Contact Gi National
Email us: news@gi-media.co.uk

editor
Ellie joined Gi Media in July 2021.