Road and rail travellers - expect weekend delays

23 August 2019, 06:00

Motorists and rail passengers are being urged to check before setting off due to severe queues predicted on popular tourist routes and the shut down of some of the rail network.

Motorists are being urged to delay bank holiday getaways until after 9pm this evening.

There will also be severe disruption on parts of the railway network this weekend as Network Rail carries out hundreds of engineering projects.

Research by the RAC and traffic information supplier Inrix suggests 16.5 million leisure journeys will take place on UK roads between Friday and Monday.

Friday is expected to be the worst day for jams as five million drivers embarking on journeys for a holiday or day trip battle for road space with commuters.

Roads are likely to be busiest between 11am and 6.30pm.

Rail passengers are being urged to avoid the East Coast Main Line this weekend, with train operator London North Eastern Railway (LNER) issuing a "do not travel" warning for the route between London and Scotland via York on Saturday and Sunday.

This is due to King's Cross being closed as part of a major project which will prevent any trains from running between London and Peterborough.

Track replacement work near Macclesfield and Milton Keynes will reduce the number of trains departing and arriving at London Euston via the West Coast Main Line.

Major upgrade work is taking place in Newark, Nottinghamshire, affecting East Midlands Railway's Lincoln services to and from Leicester and Nottingham.

Network Rail is carrying out 448 engineering projects over the weekend.

Among the popular events on this weekend are Notting Hill Carnival in west London; Edinburgh Fringe festival; Reading and Leeds Festivals; Manchester Pride and Creamfields, near Warrington in Cheshire.