29/04/2008 08:00:00
Travellers across the UK are expected to face travel disruptions over the upcoming May Bank Holiday weekend.
According to the Telegraph, hundreds of thousands of travellers' plans will be thrown into disarray by engineering works on railways all over the country.
The biggest problems will be experienced on the West Coast Main Line: no trains will run between London Euston and Birmingham from Saturday May 3 to early morning on Tuesday May 6. This closure is the result of engineering works at Nuneaton, Milton Keynes, Rugby and Trent Valley.
Instead, passengers have been advised by rail companies to travel to the Midlands on the Chiltern Line, while people going to London from North West England have been instructed to travel on the East Midlands Trains from Manchester, via Sheffield.
Alternative routes to London include the National Express East Coast service from Glasgow or Edinburgh.
Engineering works will also cause major delays and interruptions to travellers in South West England and Hampshire, as well as across the capital.
Additionally, UK airports will find themselves facing one of their busiest weekends of the year. As a result, this Bank Holiday period could be a crucial test of the capabilities of Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5, following its chaotic opening weeks.
The Telegraph states that, in total, Heathrow expects to see 684, 000 passengers travel from its terminals over the weekend, with New York being the most popular destination amongst British travellers.