UK Travel Chaos Looms for Bank Holiday Weekend: Rail Closures, Traffic Jams, and Airport Rush

Travelling across the UK this bank holiday weekend? Brace yourself. Road, rail, and air travel are expected to face significant disruption as millions take to the roads and skies, and engineering works hit rail services.

Traffic gridlock is anticipated to peak on Friday, as many drivers take an early break ahead of the long weekend and school half-term in England and Wales. According to the RAC, around 3.4 million extra leisure trips will clog the roads, while the AA estimates more than 20 million vehicles will be in motion.

Hotspots to watch include the M25, the A30, A303, and M5 heading southwest — all expected to see major delays. INRX, a traffic data firm, warns that some journeys could take up to an hour longer than usual. Bad weather could make things even worse, with wet conditions in the forecast.

Rail passengers won’t fare much better. Major disruptions are planned:

No trains between London St Pancras and Bedford on Saturday and Sunday, affecting Luton Airport access.

Reduced services on the West Coast Main Line from London Euston to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and Glasgow — with longer travel times and replacement buses.

Network Rail’s Helen Hamlin advises travellers to check routes in advance, even though most of the rail network will remain open.

Meanwhile, UK airports expect the busiest travel day of 2025 so far on Friday, with over 3,200 flights departing and up to 2.2 million passengers flying out over four days. Top destinations include Dublin, Amsterdam, Palma, Alicante, and Málaga.

Travel association Abta reminds holidaymakers not to forget travel insurance, noting that 1 in 4 went abroad last year without it — especially among younger adults.