Travel expert Simon Calder issues Easter travel disruption warning for anyone leaving London
Easter remains a hugely popular time of year for people to travel. Whether they are staying in the UK, or flying abroad for some sun, millions of Brits are expected to be on the move in the coming days.And although the current conflict in the Middle East has sent the cost of petrol, diesel, and flights skyrocketing, many of us are still anticipating hitting the roads or airports.But travel expert Simon Calder warned that there is likely to be heavy disruption - not least for people travelling by train around the country. Speaking to the Independent, he said: "Easter travel is going to be disrupted for many people, I'm sorry to say. Starting here at London Euston, the entire 50 miles of line between here and Milton Keynes Central is going to be closed because of Network Rail engineering work."That's going to mean that intercity services to the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales, and Southern Scotland are going to be beginning at Milton Keynes Central with, would you believe, a bus replacement service operating from Bedford, which you can reach from St Pancras Station just down the road and also on Thameslink from a number of London stations."Elsewhere, there are going to be issues in Yorkshire, where you will find that the line from Leeds via Garsforth to York is going to be closed and also the line through Huddersfield. There will be diversions, delays, and those rail replacement buses. North from Cambridge to King's Lynn is also going to be closed, as is the line from Winchester to Southampton."Mr Calder also said that there would likely be heavy traffic on the roads, especially on Thursday and Friday (April 2-3). He said it was wise to either 'leave early or leave late' to avoid the rush."Looking at the roads, well, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are going to be the busiest, especially during the day from about 10 in the morning to 7 in the evening," he said. "Best way to avoid the queues and the crowds is to leave early or leave late. Saturday is looking quite busy, especially heading south on the M25 from the M1 through to Heathrow, and indeed on the M5 going south from the M4 at Bristol."There's going to be many issues on Easter Monday. That M5 traffic will all be going north, so expect delays from Taunton up through to Bristol. The M25 again, that's likely to be quite lively."If you're going to Dover and you've got a ferry to catch, well, it's really quite straightforward according to the boss of the Port of Dover who I've been speaking to. Doug Bannister says, "Don't arrive more than two hours early. We will do our absolute best to get you through smoothly. If you do happen to miss your ferry, you will be rebooked without fuss and without charge on the next available sailing."
