Travellers heading away for the sunny bank holiday weekend have already reported experiencing difficult journeys, with train strikes and traffic jams expected as the three-day break kicks off in earnest.
Overcrowded Train Sparks Anger
A passenger on the Great Western Rail train from Paddington to Plymouth yesterday evening reported being unable to sit down in a carriage that appeared to be over capacity. She posted an image on X, formerly Twitter, showing every seat taken and fellow passengers standing down the aisle of the 7.04pm train. The traveller revealed she had paid £90 for the ticket and some passengers had to stand 'for hours'.
'Hi @GWRHelp, what compensation are you offering to passengers who've paid £90 to travel on the massively over-booked, standing room only 19:04 train from Paddington to Plymouth?' she fumed. 'How can you force people to stand for hours when tickets cost so much? Disgusting!'
Great Western Rail offers a 'seat guarantee' that promises compensation to passengers who have booked a seat but have had to stand. 'This will be 50% of the cost of a single ticket, or 25% if a return ticket is held,' the website reads.
According to GWR, the train was busier than usual due to it being late to arrive into Paddington, and late to depart because of a freight train problem earlier in the day. A spokesperson for GWR told the Daily Mail: 'Many rail fares give customers the flexibility to travel on a choice of trains without pre-booking a specific service in advance, and this can lead to some services being busier than others. We encourage passengers to reserve a seat on a specific train in advance to guarantee their place. Anyone who reserves a seat on our trains can take advantage of the GWR Seat Guarantee, which offers a 50% refund on your single leg fare if you have to stand.'
Train Strikes and Engineering Works
But a packed train could only be the start of the bank holiday travel chaos across the country. A train strike organised by TSSA union is set to impact many services by West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway. The action, which is over rest-day working payments according to the Independent, will start today and continue into Saturday, May 23.
Meanwhile, Network Rail has scheduled essential engineering works from Saturday, May 23 to Monday, May 25. This includes over the East Coast Main Line resulting in buses replacing trains between York and Darlington, and a limited service running from Northallerton to Darlington. Work on the Transpennine line is also continuing between Manchester, Huddersfield and Leeds. Consequently, some routes will require a change of trains while other areas will be served by rail replacement buses.
Within London, there will be improvements to signalling and telecommunications equipment on the Thameslink service between Finsbury Park, St Pancras and Blackfriars. This work means trains from the north of the capital will start and end their trips in Kings Cross Station and St Pancras. As for trains coming from the south of London, they will come and go from London Bridge.
Elsewhere, a two-week programme is set to begin on the Great Western Main Line as engineers improve the Severn Tunnel's power supply and track near Patchway and Filton. Passengers can hop on rail replacement buses between Newport and Bristol Parkway. There will also be one train an hour between South Wales and London, via Gloucester, from May 23 until June 7.
Anit Chandarana, Network Rail's group director, System Operator, said: 'Bank holidays are still among the least busy times for us in terms of passengers, so it makes sense to plan these major improvements for those days. I know it can be frustrating to have to check before you travel, but this investment is about making everyday journeys better – improving reliability, reducing future disruption and helping the railway work better for passengers.'
Road Congestion Expected
On the road, Britain's drivers are set to face congestion on major routes this weekend as millions of people embark on bank holiday getaway trips despite the surge in fuel prices. The RAC estimates 19 million leisure trips will take place by car between today and Monday in the UK, an increase of one million from last year's spring bank holiday.
Today and Saturday will see the heaviest getaway traffic with 3.8 million drivers planning a trip each day – then 3.4 million on Sunday and 3.1 million on Monday. With a 32C heatwave on the way, a further 3.4 million people intend to take a trip some time between today and Monday but have not decided exactly when.
Transport analytics company Inrix said the worst motorway jams will be on the M1, M5, M6 and M25. Today, the M25 anticlockwise from Junction 10 to Junction 6 is expected to see the heaviest traffic at about 4.45pm as many people finish work. The same stretch of road is likely to see a second spike at lunchtime on Saturday, with journey times more than twice as long as normal. Queues of 45 minutes are expected at midday on Saturday on the M5 southbound from Junction 16 near Bristol to Junction 23 for Bridgwater.
The RAC commissioned a survey of 2,218 UK drivers which indicated that 39 per cent intend to take to motorways or major A roads for a bank holiday leisure trip. RAC mobile servicing and repairs team leader Sean Kimberlin said: 'With the weather looking like it may improve, millions are planning to make a getaway trip over the bank holiday weekend. And the fact our research shows it's set to be the busiest late May bank holiday since 2024 shows that even though fuel prices remain uncomfortably high, it takes a lot to stop drivers taking to the roads to make the most of a long weekend.'
He urged drivers to ensure their cars are 'summer ready' by checking oil and coolant levels, and ensuring all tyres have plenty of tread and are inflated to the correct pressure. The Daily Mail approached Great Western Rail for comment.
