Easter travel – stay: Warnings for bank holiday drivers as London Euston to close amid train delay chaos

Drivers have been warned of giant visitors delays as hundreds of thousands of individuals are set to hit the street this bank holiday weekend.

The RAC warned journeys on the street may take up to twice as lengthy as ordinary as 14 million individuals are anticipated to set off.

“With Easter falling earlier than usual at the start of the school holidays, it could be carmageddon for holidaymakers,” an RAC breakdown spokesperson stated.

Journeys on the M25 between the M23 for Gatwick and the M1 in Hertfordshire are anticipated to take greater than two hours, whereas the M5 southbound between Bristol and Taunton can be possible to be congested.

Rail passengers have been warned to “travel either side of the Easter weekend” as London Euston is about to shut for your entire weekend.

Major enhancements to observe imply the busy station will likely be closing for all however Overground companies from Good Friday to Easter Monday.

Network Rail has suggested travellers to keep away from the West Coast primary line in the course of the bank holiday, including that engineering works between London and Milton Keynes. can even influence southern routes to and from London.

Replacement bus companies will likely be in impact on numerous routes, and passengers have been urged to verify their journeys upfront as they may face longer travel instances.

Extreme flooding is wreaking havoc within the South West in the present day as a number of traces are compelled to close on one of many busiest travel days of the yr.

Great Western Railway stated all traces are closed between Westbury and Swindon till at the very least 2pm.

“Due to flooding across the railway network this morning, we need to reutilise the Melksham line for other purposes,” it stated.

“As a result trains between Westbury and Swindon via Melksham are suspended until further notice.”

There have additionally been delays and cancellations between Swindon and Bristol Parkway, Westbury and Weymouth, Reading and Taunton and Sindon and Chippenham.

There are experiences of extreme delays on the M1 northbound between junctions J25 and J27.

According to AA, motorists are going through delays of 44 minutes with a median velocity of 5 mph.

It is anticipated to clear later this morning.

On one of many busiest days of the yr for rail travel, flooding is inflicting chaos on the Great Western Railway between London Paddington, southwest England, Bristol and South Wales.

The line between Reading and Taunton is partially blocked with disruption anticipated till the remainder of the day. GWR stated: “We are sorry for the delay to your journey today. Flooding on the railway between Reading and Taunton has resulted in some signal failures along this route. Network Rail are working to rectify the faults. This means that our high speed services between Reading and Taunton have to run at reduced speeds through the affected areas. The line towards Taunton is now blocked due to further flooding.

“Our high speed services from London Paddington towards Devon and Cornwall will be diverted between Reading and Taunton which will add delay to your journey.”

Unfortunately the primary diversion route can be experiencing issues. High-speed trains heading west from Swindon in Wiltshire to Bristol and Cardiff are having to cut back their velocity from 125mph to simply 5mph as a results of flooding on the road.

“Trains may be delayed by up to 30 minutes, cancelled or diverted as a result,” says National Rail.

In a traditional yr there can be a niche between most faculties breaking apart and the lengthy weekend. But with Easter falling so early the 2 are mixed.

My colleague Simon Calder has defined the Easter travel scenario and the way dangerous it could be:

Around 14 million Britons are due to hit the street in the present day as many head off on their Easter getaways.

Many will likely be heading for staycations in in style UK holiday spots such as Devon and Cornwall. However, footage from Cornwall this morning present some windy and gloomy circumstances.

The Met Office has issued a climate warning for wind in the present day in some elements of the south of England and showers are anticipated all through the weekend.

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s liveblog on the Easter bank holiday visitors.

Huge delays are anticipated on the roads this afternoon as many head off on their weekend getaways.

Rail passengers have additionally been affected by cancellations and engineering works.

We’ll be bringing you the most recent information as it occurs.