Bank Holiday travel chaos: what you need to know

Travel chaos is expected across England this Bank Holiday weekend, with many rail services disrupted and traffic jams expected to clog up major motorways.

Congestion is set to rise from 11am on Friday through to 6.30pm as millions of motorists take to the roads, reports the BBC.

And rail travellers have also been warned to expect delays, with a reduced timetable and rail-replacement busses rolled out across the country.

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A survey by tourism agency VisitEngland says that 8.6 million Britons are planning an overnight journey in the UK over the Bank Holiday weekend.

That’s up from 7.3 million over the same weekend in 2018, and is the highest number since records began in 2012.

Many travellers will be hoping to take advantage of the coming heatwave, with temperatures peaking on Monday at 33°C in parts of the UK, says Sky News.

Met Office chief meteorologist Steve Willington said: “On Saturday and Sunday there’ll be plenty of sunshine across the country with temperatures reaching into the mid-20s for many – it'll be warmest in southeastern parts where 30°C is possible.”

“By Bank Holiday Monday itself temperatures will rise further with around 33°C possible in the South East – which would set a new record for the Bank Holiday weekend.”

Road issues

Around 16.5 million journeys will take place on the UK’s roads between Friday and Bank Holiday Monday, according to the RAC and traffic information supplier Inrix, meaning traffic jams are almost inevitable.

Friday is predicted be the worst day for travel on the roads, as travellers set off for a weekend away. The worst delays will be on the M25 anti-clockwise from Junction 4 at Orpington/Bromley to Junction 1 at Swanscombe/Dartford at around 3.15pm, with journeys set to take nearly an hour longer than usual.

The M6 northbound from Junction 18 to Junction 24 is also estimated to have hold-ups of up to an hour in the early afternoon.

However, there is one bright spot: Highways England said that 97% of England's motorways and major A-roads will be free from roadworks this weekend.

Rail disruption

Network Rail said it is carrying out 448 engineering projects over the weekend because “far fewer people” use trains over Bank Holiday weekends compared to normal working days.

King’s Cross station will be closed on Saturday and Sunday and operating only a reduced service on Bank Holiday Monday to carry out rail replacement work between London and Peterborough. London North Eastern Railway, Great Northern and Hull Trains have all advised passengers not to travel this weekend.

Major works will also be carried out on the East Coast Main Line over the weekend, causing rail operators to warn of significant disruption and reduced service.

The West Coast Main Line will also be disrupted due to track replacement work near Macclesfield and Milton Keynes, reducing the number of trains going to and from London.

Major upgrade works are also under way in Newark, Nottinghamshire, affecting East Midlands Railway’s Lincoln services to and from Leicester and Nottingham, says Sky News.