These railway closures at Preston will contribute to busiest Easter on roads ever
West Coast Mainline closures from Preston over Easter will contribute to the busiest Easter on Lancashire and UK’s roads in four years.
There will be no WCML services between Preston and Lancaster on Saturday or Easter Sunday. The Easter work is part of a £400 million project to boost the reliability of the WCML, which is Europe’s busiest railway line used for passenger and freight trains.
However, Avanti West Coast will run services between Preston and Carlisle via the Settle and Carlisle line. Elsewhere on Britain’s rail network, engineers will deliver more than 270 other upgrade projects over the Easter period.
Jake Kelly, Network Rail’s regional director for the North West and Central region, said: “We know how important bank holidays are – particularly at Easter, when families and friends come together – and that’s why we work hard to keep as much of the network open as possible while carrying out these vital upgrades.
“However, bank holidays are also among the least busy times on the railway, and the four-day period at Easter gives us a valuable opportunity to complete projects that simply can’t be delivered during a normal weekend. This ensures we maximise the time our teams are out working on the tracks. So passengers will see some changes and it’s a good idea for people to check before they travel.”
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The RAC estimated that nearly 21 million leisure journeys by car are planned between Thursday and Easter Monday across the UK. It said that would be the most Easter traffic since 2022, which was the first bank holiday weekend since England scrapped coronavirus travel restrictions. The RAC calculated the figure based on responses to a survey of 2,219 UK adults conducted between March 20-23, when fuel prices had already risen significantly.
Oil prices have reached up to 120 dollars per barrel in response to Iran’s stranglehold on tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The AA predicted that traffic during the Easter period will peak on Thursday, when an estimated 21.7 million trips for all journey types are planned.Drivers getting a head start on bank holiday getaways will compete for road space with commuters on what is the last working day of the week.
They are advised to set off before 10am if possible to avoid the worst of the congestion.The AA forecast that routes to coastal destinations are likely to be especially busy over Easter, alongside roads around town and city centres, plus major retail sites.
Likely Easter congestion hotspots identified by transport analytics company Inrix include:
- The M4 westbound from the Severn Crossing to Bridgend, South Wales.
- The M25 clockwise from Junction 15 to Junction 19.
- The M5 southbound from Junction 15 to Junction 23.
- The M40 northbound from Junction 12 to the M42.
- The M1 southbound from Junction 16 to Junction 6.
National Highways has announced it will lift 1,500 miles of roadworks from its network of motorways and major A roads in England between Thursday and Easter Monday to ease journeys.
The RAC said the cost of filling up a typical 55-litre family car with diesel is about £19 higher than on Good Friday last year, while a tank of petrol is £8 more expensive. It commissioned a survey indicating that 31% of UK drivers are increasingly worried about rising fuel costs. But only 6% expect to drive shorter distances because of the issue, and another 6% said they will stop driving.
RAC mobile servicing and repairs team leader Sean Kimberlin said: “Despite fuel prices rising dramatically due to the conflict in the Middle East, our research suggests Easter remains incredibly important to people as it’s often the first chance to get away since Christmas or to meet up with friends and family.
“While a significant number of drivers are concerned about rising fuel prices, a much smaller contingent are actually changing their plans this Easter as a result. We expect traffic levels to be consistently high from Thursday, when many schools break up.”
Lee Morley, AA expert patrol, said: “After what feels like a very long, wet winter, lots of families are looking forward to the Easter break. With more than 20 million journeys expected on the busiest days, it’s shaping up to be one of the busiest Easters on the roads in recent years.” Mr Morley urged drivers to carry out vehicle checks before setting off, such as fuel, lights, oil, water and tyres.
Thousands of Easter train journeys will be disrupted by Network Rail’s six-day shutdown on the West Coast Main Line (WCML).
Engineering work means no intercity services will run between London Euston and Milton Keynes from Good Friday to Wednesday April 8. Trains will resume on Thursday April 9.
Engineers will deliver more than 270 upgrade projects across Britain over Easter. Between Good Friday and Easter Monday, services between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction will be reduced, and there will be no trains between Winchester and Southampton in Hampshire, or between Herne Bay and Ramsgate in Kent.
EasyJet said it is preparing for its busiest Easter getaway, with up to 16,000 flights from UK airports during the two-week school break. It said the Tenerife and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands and Alicante and Malaga in mainland Spain are among the most popular destinations. Holiday company On the Beach said it has seen a surge in last-minute bookings for departures this week.
Chief customer officer Zoe Harris said: “Destinations like Greece and Turkey are offering standout value alongside familiar favourites, Spain, the Canaries and Portugal, and with the UK weather showing no signs of improving, it’s no surprise we’ve seen a surge in people snapping up last-minute sunshine breaks.”