Easter travellers face delays over road and rail repairs
Friday, 21 Mar 2008 10:53
The RAC expects roads to be more congested than usual over the break
Travellers looking for a quick getaway over the Easter break are likely to face delays as maintenance work takes place on rail lines and the country’s roads.
Network Rail has scheduled maintenance work on the East Coast mainline and West Coast mainline resulting in the suspension of services.
Services will also be disrupted on the Great Western main line, South west main line and East Anglia/Essex line although replacement bus services will be available in most areas.
A spokesperson for the company said it hoped that all repair work would be completed by Tuesday, March 25th. Over 6,000 people will be working on a total of 30 projects over the Easter weekend with operations such as the laying of new track, bridge repair and the updating of signalling systems planned, according to the company.
Services on the capital’s transport network will also be suspended in order to enable maintenance work. The Circle and East London line will be closed throughout the four-day holiday while services on the District Line, Hammersmith and City line and Metropolitan line will be partly unavailable over the break.
Delays are also expected on the nation’s roads due to maintenance work. The BBC reports that maintenance operations will be taking place on the M1, M4, M5, M6, M11, M25, M42, M48, M55, M56, M57, M60, M62, M65, M69 and many A-roads.
The RAC has said it expects heavy traffic on roads around the country as school terms are yet to finish meaning that everyone is travelling over the same period.