Bank Holiday Weekend Travel Disruption Hits British Roads and Rail

Heavy traffic and rail engineering works are expected to disrupt travel across Britain over the August bank holiday weekend.

Bank Holiday Weekend Travel Disruption Hits British Roads and Rail

Millions of car journeys are planned over the long weekend, with about 17.6 million trips expected from a survey of UK adults. The RAC says drivers should set off early to avoid the heaviest congestion, especially on routes to airports and coastlines. The south east and south west of England are forecast to bear the worst delays, and the M5 between Bristol and Devon is a focus for holdups of more than 40 minutes on Friday and Saturday on the stretch from junction 15 to junction 23. Channel crossings via Dover or Folkestone on the M20 in Kent are also likely to see delays above 30 minutes.

Rail travel faces its own hurdles as Network Rail runs 261 projects over the long weekend. Long-distance services will be suspended between London King's Cross and Peterborough on Sunday, affecting routes along the east coast mainline. Avanti West Coast will operate a reduced service with no trains between Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International from Saturday to Monday. CrossCountry and Avanti diversions will add time, and London Northwestern services will run only to Birmingham International. Network Rail's Helen Hamlin says the works are unavoidable if the goal is a better, more reliable railway and urges passengers to check journeys in advance.

The disruption underscores how the bank holiday period tests the country’s transport backbone. It shows upgrades and maintenance often collide with travel needs, forcing travelers to adapt. The plan to balance short-term inconvenience with long-term reliability relies on clear information and flexible options for passengers. The weekend reveals how rail and road networks depend on synchronized schedules to limit spillover delays.

Highlights

Disruption is manageable with planning and flexibility.