Warning to anyone planning on catching a train this Easter weekend
Easter engineering works are set to disrupt train services across Britain, impacting passengers travelling over the bank holiday weekend.
More than 300 projects are planned between Good Friday and Easter Monday, leading to numerous line closures and revised timetables.
London Euston, one of the UK's busiest railway stations, will be particularly affected. Passengers travelling to or from Milton Keynes will face significant disruption, with no services operating on Saturday and Easter Sunday. A reduced timetable will be in effect on Good Friday and Easter Monday. These disruptions are due to essential engineering works, including overhead electric line renewals and drainage improvements.
Further north, West Coast Main Line services will terminate at Carlisle between Saturday and Monday. Passengers travelling to stations further north will need to use replacement bus services. Network Rail advises passengers to check their journey details before travelling and allow extra time for their journeys.
Platforms 1-8 will be closed at London Victoria, meaning no Southeastern trains will serve the station over the four-day bank holiday period.
Services will be diverted to London Bridge or London Cannon Street.
Engineering work in the Southampton and Brockenhurst areas will close various lines in the region.
Helen Hamlin, Network Rail's director of system operations, said: 'The vast majority of the rail network will be open as usual for people wanting to travel over the Easter bank holiday, but there will be changes to services in some areas, so we're asking passengers to plan ahead and check before they travel.
'We carry out a large amount of our work over the Easter period as passenger numbers are lower than they typically would be, disrupting fewer journeys, and the two bank holidays either side of the weekend give us a unique opportunity to get more work done whilst keeping disruption to a minimum.'
Network Rail said it will deliver investments totalling £86 million over the Easter period.
Meanwhile drivers are being advised to prepare for congestion around town and city centres, retail parks and major routes such as the M6 at Birmingham and around the Blackpool area, the south and western section of the M25 between the M23 and M40, the M5 at Bristol and the A303 in Wiltshire.
The AA estimated that 19.1 million people in the UK will drive on Good Friday, with 18.5 million hitting the road on Saturday and 18.2 million on each of Easter Sunday and Monday.
Steven Skeates, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said there will be 'changeable weather for many' during the bank holiday weekend.
An area of low pressure could bring 'heavy and possibly even disruptive rain' on Good Friday for parts of south-west England, Northern Ireland and South Wales, he added.
RAC breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said if the heavy rain becomes a reality 'many drivers may have their journeys disrupted as they set off for day trips and long weekends'.
She added: 'It's vital to plan ahead and be prepared for trips to take longer because of the wet weather and the expected getaway congestion.'
Ms Simpson said an estimated 6.2 million people are 'undecided' on when they will travel for an Easter leisure trip, which means 'any sign of sun' could spark 'big jams'.
National Highways said it has removed roadworks from 1,127 miles of motorways and major A roads in England, meaning 97.5% of its network is free of traffic cones for Easter getaways.
Tourism authority VisitEngland estimates that around 10.6 million British adults are planning to take a holiday in the UK over the bank holiday period.
Meanwhile travel trade organisation Abta said approximately 2.2 million Britons will head overseas during the long weekend, with Good Friday being the busiest day for travel.
Some 11,282 flights are scheduled to depart UK airports between Good Friday and Monday, according to aviation analytics company Cirium.
That is 6% more than during last year's Easter, but remains 4% down from Easter 2019.
The most common international destinations for UK departures this Easter are Dublin, Amsterdam, Malaga, Alicante and Mallorca.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
7 hours ago
- The National
The latest on Celtic's winger hunt amid 'number of targets'
The Parkhead club are 'expected' to sign versatile attacking midfielder Benjamin Nygren from Nordsjaelland, although it doesn't look like they will stop there. Indeed, Sky Sports claims that Celtic are on the hunt for a winger this summer, and that they have 'made contact' for a number of targets, including Sondre Orjasaeter of Sarpsborg and Royal Antwerp's Michel-Ange Balikwisha. Read more: The latter ended an injury-ravaged 2024/25 campaign by contributing to seven goals in 11 games. Balikwisha was linked with a move to Parkehad last summer, while Orjasaeter was said to be the subject of a £4.6 million bid from Celtic in January. He previously addressed his failed move: "I struggled to sleep," revealed Orjasaeter. "I didn't know if I was going to be in Norway or not. I could have moved at any moment. I had to carry my passport with me everywhere. "When the window closed, I felt a sense of relief. I came to the conclusion that I was determined to stay in Sarpsborg and play here, because I didn't know if I was ready to leave yet. "Going abroad now is another level up. It had become more professional and everything. There were many thoughts going through my head during that period. "If I get a little more time in Sarpsborg, I think I'll mature and be ready for it eventually. "Of course, you will have a better life after your career if you have more money in your account, but you only live once. For me, it is just as important to have fun along the way. It is probably even more important "I have a lot of friends to keep me grounded. I think if I only had football, my head would explode! "I'm not much of a fan of football, but I love having it as a job. I couldn't have a better job than what I have. "But when I see that my friends are going on holiday or to ski at Easter, I get jealous. I'm not going to lie. "I hope that those clubs understand that not everyone can be the same. At the same time, I have my serious side too. And I think that kind of thing comes a little with age."
BBC News
12 hours ago
- BBC News
Wymondham subway work will halt train services and traffic
A road will be closed for a month and trains temporarily replaced by buses when work begins on a subway for pedestrians and cyclists underneath a railway new layout beside a railway bridge in Wymondham, Norfolk, aims to improve access to the town centre and forms part of a planned housing Road will be closed from 30 June until 27 July, while rail services on the Norwich to Ely line will be affected for three days from 5 July, including throughout Monday, 7 July."We're really sorry that passengers will face disruption, including on a working day, but it's fundamental to allow this scheme to move forward," a spokesman for Network Rail said. It said the "key phase" of construction at the beginning of July involved removing the railway tracks and excavating the earth underneath. A crane would then lift in several concrete subway sections, each of which would weigh about 28 tonnes, it added. During this time, trains cannot run on the Greater Anglia route between Norwich and Cambridge and Stansted Airport, as well as the East Midlands Railway route between Norwich and Nottingham and Liverpool Lime timetable changes have been put in place on the different routes across the three days, with passengers advised to check before they travel. The subway, constructed by housing developers Taylor Wimpey and Vistry, is expected to open in the autumn of 2026. Follow East of England news on X, Instagram and Facebook: BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks, BBC Cambridgeshire, BBC Essex, BBC Norfolk, BBC Northamptonshire or BBC Suffolk.
Business News Wales
a day ago
- Business News Wales
Spring Sunshine Hits May Footfall Figures as Consumers Choose Leisure Over Shopping
Unseasonal warm and sunny spring weather may have impacted retail footfall in May as consumers prioritised leisure and outdoor activities. According to WRC-Sensormatic data, Welsh footfall decreased by 0.4% in May (YoY), down from 13.6% in April. Shopping centre footfall decreased by 5.4% in May (YoY), down from 8.1% in April. Retail park footfall increased by 1.2% in May (YoY), down from 11.6% in April. In May, footfall in Cardiff decreased by 2.1% (YoY), down from 9.0% in April. Sara Jones, Head of the Welsh Retail Consortium, said: 'Retailers will be a little disappointed as visits to shopping destinations fell back slightly in Wales in May. Hopes were high after a positive Easter trading period but sadly the figures were a small fall back from 2024's performance. It wasn't all bad news. Wales was the top performing nation in the UK last month, and retail parks continued to show growth. However, visits to Cardiff fell a little, and shopping centres saw a five per cent decrease. 'Last June saw concerts and sporting events draw consumers onto the high street but didn't translate into increased sales. The hope is this summer will see that footfall bounce repeated, but this time hopefully consumers will choose products rather than experiences. With consumer confidence shaky right now and businesses grappling with higher costs there is a lot on the line in the coming months.' Andy Sumpter, Retail Consultant EMEA for Sensormatic Solutions, said: 'Welsh retail footfall held up better than the UK average in May, with a year-on-year decline of just -0.4% compared to -1.7% nationally. High streets and shopping centres still saw some softening, but retail parks continued to show resilience, supported by their convenience and accessibility. 'Despite the warm and sunny weather – more typical of peak summer than late spring – footfall didn't fully reflect the brighter conditions, suggesting that consumers may have prioritised leisure and outdoor activities over shopping. Nevertheless, May's result marks a clear improvement on the -5.0% seen in the same month last year and contributes to a more stable trend in 2025. 'Encouragingly, consumer sentiment is on the rise, with more people feeling optimistic about their personal finances and the wider economy. Notwithstanding ongoing cost-of-living pressures, retailers in Wales will be looking to make hay while the sun shines – focusing on the right mix of experience, value, and convenience to convert seasonal footfall into sustained growth.'
