Ahead of the May Day bank holiday weekend – and a week before the Coronation celebrations begin – British travellers are facing mounting chaos.
Engineering work will disrupt key rail lines, while looming industrial action will jeopardise travel plans for passengers into June.
Travellers trying to reach the Eurovision Song Contest and the FA Cup final by rail could find their trains cancelled by a series of national rail strikes that will extend into a 13th month.
Even without industrial action, engineering work will make any long-distance journey on the West Coast main line on Sunday 30 April extremely protracted and complicated.
London Euston is shut all day, with services starting and terminating at Milton Keynes Central.
The direct route linking Stafford, Crewe, Warrington and Preston is also closed, and no trains will run north of Lancaster all day.
Avanti West Coast, the intercity rail operator on the line, says with some understatement: “Some journeys will take longer and may involve a rail replacement bus.” Buses will connect Milton Keynes with Stanmore on the London Underground.
Alternative routes from London via Reading and Oxford to Birmingham are currently closed until 10 June due to a viaduct over the Thames needing urgent repairs.
Other bank holiday weekend closures from Saturday 29 April to Monday 1 May include:
- The main line from Cambridge to London King’s Cross
- CrossCountry trains from Cambridge to Stansted airport.
- The South Western Railway main line between Woking, Basingstoke and Winchester.
- The Gatwick Express will not run on Sunday, but other trains will be available.
- The line from Norwich to Lowestoft (Sunday only).
While no strikes are planned during the Coronation festivities on 6 and 7 May, the main line from London Victoria to Gatwick airport and Brighton is closed; an alternative service is available from London Bridge.
With hundreds of thousands of well-wishers expected to travel to and within the capital to witness the event, there are concerns about the stresses on London’s public transport system.
Long-distance buses running to Victoria Coach station could face diversions and extended journeys because normal routes through Westminster are closed.
On the roads, data collected from the sat-nav service Waze suggests that the traffic rush may begin as early as Wednesday 3 May to get ahead of the weekend…
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