All the road and rail disruptions this bank holiday Monday

Millions of drivers are expected to hit the road today as the bank holiday weekend draws to a close – despite travel chaos reported across the country. More than 20 million “leisure trips” were forecast between Friday and Monday, according to the RAC motoring group. Many had a rough start to the weekend on Friday as they faced heavy traffic on the A3 in west London for up to five hours[1] after a section of the motorway was closed.

The road has since been reopened but other travel disruptions remain which could still catch out drivers and train passengers. Here, i looks at the road and rail closures that remain in place.

A3 reopens following traffic chaos

Transport for London responded to tweets from actor Hugh Grant and others who complained about being stuck in traffic on the A3 on Friday. TfL said it had closed the inside and middle lanes on the A3 northbound at the Tolworth Junction underpass because it feared the top layer of the wall, which is made from concrete, may crumble because its bonding has “degraded”.

But Grant said drivers saw no emergency repair works taking place on Friday and claimed elderly women were urinating in bushes and children were howling. Responding to his post on Sunday evening, TfL wrote: “Hi Hugh, safety is our top priority and following an inspection, emergency repairs were required to a section of wall under the footbridge on the northbound carriageway of the A3 at Tolworth Junction. Lane closures were necessary to ensure the safety of people using the road below.

“We are sorry for any disruption in the area that this caused. We quickly moved specialist engineers to get the road fully reopened for the bank holiday and ready for Tuesday’s rush hour period.” TfL warned of “serious delays” on the North Circular (A406) today.

Lane restrictions are in place on Kew Bridge Road at the junction of Lionel Road South because of road resurfacing works. “Traffic is slow moving southbound on Chiswick High Road with delays from Chiswick Roundabout,” it added in an update on Monday.

Severe delays elsewhere

National Highways has warned of severe congestion on a number of motorways including the A21, A47, A1, A46, M56, M62, A27, A1, A11, A30 and A66. Live updates on traffic can be found here[2].

Rail disruption

Avanti West Coast and Northwestern Railway have warned of major disruption between Milton Keynes Central and London Euston, which was expected to last until 2pm on Monday.

While all lines have reopened following a fault with the signalling system between Milton Keynes Central and Watford Junction, trains running between these stations may still face delays and cancellations. Planning engineering work is also taking place in some areas. There is a reduced CrossCountry service between Wakefield Westgate and Leeds, as well as between Stafford and Crewe.

Major engineering work is happening in the Carlisle and Motherwell area and buses are replacing trains between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley/Tame Bridge Parkway via Aston. Buses will replace late night and early morning trains between Machynlleth and Aberystwyth until Wednesday. Services are being amended between Newcastle and Edinburgh, and late night services have been cancelled between New Cross Gate and West Croydon/Crystal Palace.

For further details of affected journeys, see the National Rail website[3].

Weather warnings

There are warnings of further weather-related transport issues in Scotland after the Met Office issued a yellow thunderstorm warning that remains in place until 10pm on Monday. It warned that 30mm to 40mm of rain could fall with spray and sudden flooding leading to difficult driving conditions and the possibility of road closures. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued 13 flood alerts covering most of east and north Scotland.

It said: “There is a risk of heavy, thundery, showers that can cause rapid flooding from surface water. The highest risk is where the showers fall on transport routes and built-up areas.” The agency said the weather outlook “remains unsettled” and further “surface water issues” could occur through the rest of the week across the south of Scotland later on Tuesday, and then in northeast Scotland on Wednesday.

On the UK forecast for Monday, Greg Dewhurst, meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “Generally, England and Wales will see less frequent and less heavy showers compared to Sunday, so there should be some longer, drier spells in between. “But it is worth, if people are heading out, having a brolly and raincoat as there is a chance almost anywhere of having a shower, true for Northern Ireland too, actually.” Across the UK temperatures will be around average for this time of year, ranging from 17?C to 19?C, but it will still feel “on the fresh side” under any cloud or rain.

Thicker cloud is expected to move in across south-west England by the end of the day with a chance of patchy rain, but any lingering showers should fade as the evening progresses.

References

1. ^ heavy traffic on the A3 in west London for up to five hours (inews.co.uk)
2. ^ here (www.trafficengland.com)
3. ^ National Rail website (www.nationalrail.co.uk)