Morning:
13°c
It’ll be a bright bank holiday ... just avoid taking a train
01.05.09
Rail passengers were warned today of disruption on virtually every major rail line out of London over the bank holiday weekend.
Engineering works mean families planning to get away face delays, diversions and bus replacement services, although most do not come into effect until tomorrow.
There is better news for those staying in the capital as it is forecast to be bathed in sunshine. The Met Office said temperatures could hit 20C on Monday, well above the average for early May.
Tomorrow should be dry and bright with temperatures of around 18C. Sunday will start dry, but a band of rain is expected to move in from the South-West in the late morning.
However, showers should peter out in the late afternoon and temperatures are due to reach 17C. Monday could see temperatures of 20C with bright sunshine and a light breeze.
A Met Office forecaster said: “Normal temperatures are around 15C for this time of year so it is warmer than average and mostly warm and dry, which has been unusual in recent bank holidays.” Records show the last Easter bank holiday was the least sunny since 1964 for the majority of the country.
People travelling to Scotland or the North West appear to be getting the worst deal as they face the most disrupted rail journeys — and cloudy and wet weather when they do arrive.
The West Coast Main Line from Euston to Glasgow, which also serves Birmingham and Manchester, has engineering works between London and Rugby, Stafford and Crewe, and Preston and Scotland from tomorrow until Monday that could add hours to journey times.
First Great Western services to Wales and the South West will also be disputed. Trains from Paddington to Newport and Cardiff will go via Gloucester and buses will replace trains from Bristol to Cardiff and Taunton.
A Network Rail spokesman said 2,000 more train services than usual would be operating over the weekend.
Road congestion blackspots are expected to be the M5 between Bristol and Exeter, the M1 from Nottingham and Sheffield, the M6/M55 interchange between Manchester and Blackpool, the M23 between London and Brighton, and the M40 from London to Oxford.
Reader views (2)
Aaargh they're trapping us in London! It's a government conspiracy to stop us spending money elsewhere...
How do TfL expect us to have any respect for them when they make these ludicrous decisions AND charge us more for the service?
- Real, London
The Chiltern Line out of Marylebone has been closed down on every bank holiday for the last three-and-a-half years. They have also doubled the fares, so I will be buying a new gas-guzzler soon, the public transport-only lifestyle being, for the present, unobtainable.
- Neil, London, London UK
