Delays on road and rail ahead of Easter getaway

GETAWAY: Traffic is expected to be heavy over Easter weekend

The forecast in the Central Lancashire area for Good Friday is breezy with some rain at first, but drier conditions developing. It is expected to be largely cloudy throughout the Easter weekend and mainly dry with generally light winds. Temperatures will also rise to a near average of 11C.

On the roads, traffic is expected to be heavy, particularly towards Blackpool and the Lake District.

Drivers are reminded that roadworks still exist on the northbound M6 near Lancaster owing to ongoing work on the new Heysham link road.

Rail travellers heading for London are also warned of disruption. Services over the Easter weekend from Preston will be diverted on to Sheffield and then to London St Pancras owing to ongoing work on the West Coast main line.

Work will be taking place on the West Coast main line near Watford affecting journeys from the Manchester area in and out of London. There will be no direct services between London Euston and Hemel Hempstead from Good Friday and Easter Monday while Network Rail installs the latest upgrades in the Watford area.

Meanwhile, Manchester Victoria station will be closed over the Bank Holiday while work takes place to transfer the signalling controls from the Manchester North Signalling Control Centre near Salford Crescent to the new route operating centre at Ashburys.

While Manchester Victoria is closed work will also be taking place between Manchester and Bolton, via Farnworth, as part of the £1bn investment in the north of England railways.

Alex Hynes, managing director for Northern Rail, said: “I’d like to remind our customers to check National Rail Enquiries carefully before they make their journey over Easter.

“We’ve had to make changes to our services in and out of Manchester to allow Network Rail to make important progress on crucial engineering work. Work which in the long run will enable us to improve services.”

A First Transpennine Express spokesman said: “There is a significant amount of rail improvement work taking place over Easter that will affect journeys in and out of Manchester.