UK travel chaos as summer holiday getaway hit by strikes and delays
The biggest foreign summer holiday getaway in four years began on Saturday as roads, rail and ports were plunged into chaos[1], with strikes and delays crippling much of the transport network.
The number of people travelling abroad this weekend was expected to exceed two million, representing a post-pandemic peak in foreign travel after schools across England and Wales broke up[2].
The predominantly dismal wet weather fuelled demand for families seeking last-minute deals to European countries basking in excessive heat[3].
However, the exodus coincided with the mass walkout of thousands of rail workers[4], forcing many holidaymakers into cars as they attempted to reach ports and airports[5].
The RAC warned of a “busy weekend on the roads” with 3.1 million trips on Saturday – the worst congestion taking place between midday and 6pm – with a further 2.5 million journeys expected on Sunday.
The M25 saw severe gridlock, with traffic sometimes at a standstill near junctions with the M3 and M4 to the West.
The Met Office warned that heavy downpours, which are likely to turn to thunderstorms on Sunday, were adding to drivers’ woes:
⚠️ Yellow weather warning issued ⚠️
Rain across northern England and WalesSunday 0000 – 2359
Latest info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfsStay #WeatherAware⚠️ pic.twitter.com/UplEbJ6xYx[6][7][8]
— Met Office (@metoffice) July 22, 2023[9]
Motorists heading for the Port of Dover complained on social media of two-hour waits to get through the town to the terminal entrances. However, port authorities reported queues moving “smoothly” despite an hour wait for passengers to pass through security checks.
More than 25,000 people had set sail for France by 3pm on Saturday.
Once across the Channel, many motorists’ ordeal was anything but over. Most faced a further 50-minute delay at French border controls, then “severe congestion” on highways, mainly south of Paris.
Trains were disrupted owing to a strike by the RMT union
Credit: Reuters/Hollie Adams
Abta, the travel agents’ trade body, predicted that Saturday would be the “busiest travel day of the weekend” in the UK.
Hundreds of thousands of passengers will have passed through Heathrow and Gatwick airports by the end of Sunday, while roughly 200,000 people will depart from Manchester airport and 71,000 from Bristol, according to Abta.
With passenger volumes expected to return to 2019 levels this summer – and some ports exceeding those volumes – Border Force expects to see more than 34 million air arrivals coming through UK passport control over the summer months.
More than 400,000 children, aged 10 and 11, are expected to use e-gates this year[10].
A lot of holidaymakers abandoned the rail network after the RMT union[11] resumed its long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions. An overtime ban by the drivers’ union Aslef also hit services on Saturday.
With reduced services at 14 train companies where the RMT walked out, National Rail warned passengers the “last trains during industrial action may be earlier than you think, with busier services and stations”.
Passengers were urged to plan their journeys in advance and to check with train operators before travelling.
The strike also affected routes between Scotland and England, with CrossCountry, TransPennine Express, Avanti West Coast and LNER all experiencing disruption and working to a reduced timetable.
References
- ^ plunged into chaos (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ schools across England and Wales broke up (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ basking in excessive heat (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ mass walkout of thousands of rail workers (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ ports and airports (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs (t.co)
- ^ #WeatherAware (twitter.com)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/UplEbJ6xYx (t.co)
- ^ July 22, 2023 (twitter.com)
- ^ expected to use e-gates this year (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ the RMT union (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Summer travel delays (cf-particle-html.eip.telegraph.co.uk)