People have been advised to plan ahead before traveling this weekend amid fears of chaos during the Easter getaway, affecting traffic, flights, trains and ferries.
The transport ministry said it was working to minimize disruptions, but told those expecting to travel to provide extra time for their travels.
Vacationers are already facing flight cancellations, queues for ferry services across the English Channel and long queues of traffic over the past few weeks.
Here’s everything you need to know before you leave this weekend.
Roads
About 27.6 million car trips are expected to take place during the bank holiday weekend, according to AA.
Drivers were advised to travel on Thursday if possible, but Saturday is the next best bet to avoid long queues.
Image: Traffic on the M25 queue near Egham, Surrey
The busiest day on the roads of the United Kingdom is planned to be Good Friday.
Kent is expected to be one of the hardest hit areas, as Operation Brock continues along the M20 and problems in the port of Dover due to a shortage of voyages across the English Channel remain a problem.
The operation, which was originally designed to help with post-Brexit queues, involves the use of a movable barrier to create a reverse flow system that allows trucks to queue and other traffic to continue in both directions.
Other possible congestion hotspots
- M6 north between junction 26 (Orrell Interchange, Greater Manchester) and Junction 36 (The Lake District)
- M25 clockwise from junction 8 (Reigate Hill Interchange, Surrey) to Junction 16 (Denham Interchange, Buckinghamshire
- A303 near Stonehenge, Wiltshire
Drivers who want to avoid the biggest possible traffic jams are urged to leave before 9 am or postpone their trip until 7.30 pm.
AA also estimates that at higher fuel prices, a 500-mile return trip will see drivers pay £ 20 more at the pumps than last Easter.
Transport Minister Robert Corts said his department “works closely with operators to minimize interruptions” during the break, but advised people to “plan ahead and check for updates from operators”.
Ports
Ferry transfers continue to be a problem over the weekend, with P&O Ferries’ Dover Calais voyages still suspended after nearly 800 sailors were fired on March 17 without notice.
This means that there will be a shortage of capacity on the key route.
The Maritime and Coast Guard (MCA) said “additional deficiencies” were found during a re-inspection of Pride of Kent on Wednesday, while the Spirit of Britain was detained on Tuesday after the inspection found “a number of deficiencies”.
Image: Delays are expected in Dover Harbor
A company spokesman said: “We unreservedly apologize to all customers whose planned trips with us between Dover and Calais have been canceled until we are able to sail.”
He added that alternative arrangements could be made for customers, including transferring them to the Hull-Europoort service in Rotterdam or reserving them for Brittany ferry services between Portsmouth and Cannes.
He said this will not come without additional costs for customers, as mileage costs will be reimbursed and a 25% discount on the initial fee.
DFDS said it was not available to P&O customers during the Easter holiday.
“Please do not proceed to the port without a confirmed reservation, contact P&O Ferries for alternative travel agreements,” he urged passengers.
Planes
In recent days, flight cancellations and long queues at UK airports have been blamed for difficulties in recruiting, the time it takes to process their security checks and the increased levels of COVID-related illnesses.
Aviation data firm Cirium said 9,212 flights with 1.6 million seats were scheduled to take off from airports in the UK between Good Friday and Easter Monday – 78% of the total for Easter 2019.
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2:24 “Perfect Storm” hits airports and airlines in the UK
The busiest day will be Good Friday, when about 2,430 flights must take off.
Dozens of British Airways and EasyJet flights to and from Heathrow and Gatwick were canceled on Thursday.
Passengers and airports in Birmingham and Manchester shared photos on social media on lines stretching far from check-in counters, and the Tui travel agency apologized for the long delays.
People are advised to check departure times, leave with plenty of free time at the airport and check for regular updates.
Trains
Rail passengers have also been warned of delays, as Network Rail is carrying out 530 engineering projects worth a total of £ 83 million.
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This includes the closure of the main West Coast line between London Euston and Milton Keynes for four days from Good Friday due to upgrades to the existing line and the operation of HS2.
Parts of the railway line between Birmingham and Coventry International Stations will also be closed, as will lines around Crew Station.
Passengers were already facing long lines of service from London’s St. Pancras to Europe on Thursday morning.
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