Bank holiday travel chaos: Passengers face train cancellations and HUGE queues as three million drivers hit the road
BRITS were hit by Bank Holiday travel chaos today with train cancellations and huge queues on the roads causing massive delays.
Passengers were urged not to travel to or from London Euston station after a major signal failure blocked lines.
Avanti West Coast said travellers should avoid using its services at the capital station which is one of the busiest in the country.
The chaos came on top of pre-planned Network Rail engineering work on the West Coast Main Line route resulting in longer journeys between London and Scotland.
It was also a busy day to drive, with the RAC estimating 3.4million motorists took to the roads today.
The sheer number of motors on the road coincided with the beginning of half-term for most schools in England and Wales.
Traffic queues built up on the A102M Blackwall Tunnel approach in Greenwich, London, as families made their return journeys after the end of the long weekend.
And large queues were seen building up on the M25 near Brentwood, Essex.
The busy motorway also experienced heavy traffic near Iver, Buckinghamshire, this afternoon.
Drivers were urged to check traffic conditions before setting off after the three-day-weekend drew to a close.
In London, there was disruption on the Elizabeth line between Paddington and Southall due to a speed restriction imposed over a defective track.
Meanwhile, Overground trains faced delays due to an object becoming stuck in overhead power cables.
There were also problems on Thameslink trains due to a signalling fault between St Albans and West Hampstead.
Meanwhile, passengers faced complications on Transport for Wales between Shrewsbury and Wrexham due to an emergency incident.
Over the bank holiday weekend, holidaymakers at the Port of Dover reported processing times of two hours at French border controls.
In addition, drivers also reported”gridlock” in the town itself due to the increased traffic going to the port.
One family were still in a queue to get to border control four hours after arriving in Dover.
A Port of Dover spokesperson advised that for safety reasons travellers should stay in their vehicles and thanked passengers for their patience.
A spokesperson for ferry operator DFDS said: “We are expecting a busy weekend.
“We highly recommend all customers have a confirmed reservation
“Please allow 120 minutes to complete border and check-in controls on arrival.”
WEEKEND MAYHEM
It comes as holidaymakers at Birmingham Airport were forced to queue for hours to get through security in half-term holiday mayhem.
Thousands of passengers have been stuck in queues for more than an hour.
The airport is reportedly overhauling its security system in time for the summer holidays – sparking half-term chaos.
Some passengers have reportedly been pulled out of the queues because the gate is closing for their flights.
Peterborough mum Hannah Wright said: “Security is a shambles -anyone can come this far.
“We’ve been waiting an hour to fly to Majorca. Our son is claustrophobic so it’s hard for him.
“It’s put a dampener on the start of our holiday. There is nothing in place for children who might struggle in situations like this.”
Earlier this month Border Control e-gates at UK airports including Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester broke down in a “major incident”.
Passengers waited for hours in queues overnight after an airport IT system crashed – sparking “pandemonium” for thousands.