TRICKY TRAVEL
Easter weekend travel chaos hits AGAIN with huge traffic jams after days of train delays, flight carnage & ferry queues
Millions of Brits are heading off on journeys this Easter
EASTER travel chaos has hit again following days of carnage at train stations, airports and on roads.
Brits heading off on last minute trips before Easter Sunday tomorrow are facing bumper-to-bumper traffic and train delays.
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The TransPennine Express service is currently experiencing disruption between Newcastle and Durham with problems continuing until 2pm.
In a message on X, formerly Twitter, Network Rail said: “Disruption between Newcastle and #Durham expected until 14:00.”
It added in an update that rail replacement transport was operating from Chester-le-Street.
One unhappy rail user wrote on the social media site: “Train is taking forever to get to Newcastle it better be worth it.”
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While another asked: “10:44 train from Newcastle to Manchester cancelled what other services can we use?”
St Pancras International train station was also heaving with passengers as long queues formed today.
Meanwhile, Britain’s roads were bursting with traffic as many people made the most of the long Easter bank holiday weekend.
London’s North Circular was struggling to cope with the traffic this morning.
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Holiday traffic caused "pretty horrendous" 20-mile long queues on major motorways, adding 45 minutes to journey times, on Good Friday
Around 2.6million car journeys were expected to be made yesterday, with "significant" congestion around the M25 and roads in the South West and South East by lunchtime.
The RAC said holidaymakers heading south were behind much of the congestion after forecasters predicted sunnier spells there over the next few days.
Queues of 15 to 20 miles were seen on the M4 and M5 interchange near Bristol, which is adding 45 minutes on to journey times.
Easter chaos hits with flight delays, HUGE queues & trains cancelled as thousands kick their breaks off early
Meanwhile, the western side of the M25 was described as "pretty bad" and a "lot worse than normal", with 40-minute queues.
It was also busy on the top-end of the M20, with congestion heading into Folkestone.
RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: "Everyone's heading to Devon and Cornwall, that's the attraction, and there's been a bit of better weather.
"It's causing some pretty horrendous queues."
Tourist board VisitEngland said around 11million people in the UK are planning an overnight Easter trip, generating an estimated £3.2billion for the economy.
Drivers were warned journeys could take twice as long on some routes.
14M ROAD TRIPS MADE OVER EASTER
A survey by motoring company RAC and transport analysis company Inrix suggests 14million trips by road could be made across the weekend.
Elsewhere, the processing time at the Port of Dover hit two hours for tourists on Friday.
Ferry company DFDS reported that its services at Dover were running with delays "due to strong winds in the Channel".
Wightlink said ferries to the Isle of Wight were "busy", but running on time.
Travel trade organisation Abta had predicted that two million British holidaymakers were set to jet abroad over the four days.
Airports are reporting "strong numbers", with 175,000 due to leave from Stansted, 105,000 from Luton, 160,000 from Manchester, 79,000 from Birmingham, and 89,000 from Edinburgh between Friday and Monday.
Turkey, Dubai and the Canary Islands are among the most popular destinations abroad - and trips to Dublin are also in demand.
STORMY CONDITIONS
It comes after grim weather conditions brought gusts of 50mph, with a Met Office yellow weather warning for wind covering London and the South East, the South West and east of England on Friday.
Deputy chief meteorologist Dan Harris said: "The weather is expected to gradually improve following the widely unsettled spell of the past few days, with a fairly typical mix of spring-like weather across the UK.
"There will be some sunshine, and it will feel increasingly warm for most as the winds become lighter.
"However, the west and especially south west is likely to see passing showers too, which could be quite heavy and frequent at times.
"Eastern coastal districts are also likely to feel increasingly cold as an onshore breeze develops, threatening persistent low cloud in some areas too."
In the capital, there are planned part-closures affecting large parts of the Underground, DLR and Overground services across the bank holiday weekend.
The Port of Dover has also predicted some 20,000 vehicles will use it services between Thursday and Easter Monday.
Ferry firm Stena Line said bookings on Irish Sea routes are up 115 per cent on an average weekend at this time of year and have increased by 26 per cent on Easter weekend 2023.
Network Rail urged train passengers to check their journey details before they travel because some major routes will be closed due to engineering work.
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The West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Milton Keynes will be shut for four days from Good Friday.
There will also be disruption in the areas around Glasgow and Huddersfield.
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