AA extends ‘amber’ traffic warning as queues build up on most of M25 and on M5 on way to sunny south west with more severe congestion predicted for tomorrow
- Holidaymakers trying to get to Cornwall and Devon are facing severe delays on the roads today and tomorrow
- A combination of rail strikes, the Commonwealth Games and the return of the football season will choke roads
- The AA has issued an ‘amber’ traffic warning, meaning there will be a high chance of delays on certain routes
- That warning has been extended until 7pm on Thursday evening, with further congestion expected tomorrow
The AA has extended its first ever ‘amber’ traffic warning as queues build on the M25 and M5 towards the south west of England ahead of weekend of warm temperatures – with more severe congestion expected tomorrow.
The motoring organisation has extended the warning – which means there is a high chance of congestion and delays – through to 7pm this evening, with another alert in place for popular holiday destinations on Saturday.
A perfect storm of rail strikes, the Commonwealth Games and the start of the Football League season in England is expected to mix with the first switchover days for holiday lets in the summer break to cause nightmarish traffic.
And most of the M25 is today suffering from lengthy delays, with the M5 down to the south west also filled with stop-start traffic.
Congestion is also showing on westbound sections of the M4 towards Bristol and the other side of the Prince of Wales Bridge (Second Severn Crossing) heading into Newport and Cardiff.
Roads in and around major cities such as Birmingham, which is hosting the Commonwealth Games, and Manchester are also busy.
The AA has urged people to have ‘plenty of water and food in their cars’ in case they break down or get stuck in traffic.
Similar advice was issued last week to people trying to use cross-channel services, as holidaymakers faced horrendous delays at ferry services in the Port of Dover and the Eurotunnel in Folkestone, Kent.
While things have improved this weekend, there are worries problems will come to the fore in other areas this weekend, with the south-west expected to bear the brunt of it.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: ‘The Amber Warning has been extended to 7pm tonight as people commuting back from work begin to merge with holidaymakers.
Vehicles queue in heavy traffic on the M5 southbound today as families heading to the south-west during the summer break face delays
A perfect storm of rail strikes, the Commonwealth Games and the returning Football League season, combined with holidaymakers going to the south-west, is expected to create problems
The AA has issued its first-ever ‘amber’ traffic warning, meaning people should expected a high chance of congestion on the roads today and tomorrow. Pictured is a map of areas affected by congestion today
‘While this heavy traffic is a frustration for many, those working for the British tourism industry should be delighted that so many want to holiday at home and explore the best Britain has to offer.
‘The one shining light has been the South East where both Dover and Folkestone have little to no delays. However, tomorrow will be even busier, so drivers planning to hit the road need to be prepared for stop-start traffic.
‘As well as taking food and water, some form of entertainment for younger passengers might just hold off a sigh and mutterings of “I’m bored!” for a while.’
Rail services will be severely disrupted tomorrow and into Sunday morning due to the latest outbreak of industrial unrest – with members of the drivers’ union Aslef at seven train operators walking out for 24 hours over pay.
The strike is by drivers for Arriva Rail London , Greater Anglia, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains – during the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and as the English Football League starts.
No Southeastern or London Overground trains will run – the latter being due to the Arriva walkout – while there will also be no service on London Northwestern or Heathrow Express, even though neither are involved in the dispute.
Only 10 per cent of Greater Anglia services will run – including just one Stansted Express per hour – while most of the Great Western Railway network will be shut, and the few routes running will have a severely reduced service.
The LNER timetable will be extremely limited, with one train every two hours between London and York; one train every two hours between York and Edinburgh; and one train in each direction between London and Leeds all day.
Elsewhere, West Midlands Trains will not operate other than a special shuttle between Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International – while on Hull Trains, only one service will run from Hull to and from London all day.
LONDON EUSTON: Passengers wait for information at London Euston train station this morning ahead of tomorrow’s strikes
LONDON ST PANCRAS: Passengers queue for a Eurostar departure to Paris at London St Pancras train station this morning
LONDON KING’S CROSS: Passengers wait for information at London King’s Cross this morning before tomorrow’s strike
LONDON EUSTON: A busy London Euston this morning ahead of tomorrow’s strike which affects services to Birmingham
How will your train service be affected by tomorrow’s Aslef strike?
The Rail Delivery Group issued this guide on the levels of service to be expected on train operators tomorrow:
Arriva Rail London: No London Overground services expected
Greater Anglia: Avoid travelling with Greater Anglia. Most routes will have no service at all and the few routes that are operating will have a severely reduced service
Great Western Railway: Most parts of the network will have no train service, so customers should avoid travelling on GWR as the few routes that are running will have a severely reduced service
Heathrow Express: While not involved in the Aslef dispute, there will be no service tomorrow
Hull Trains: Only one service will run from Hull to and from London King’s Cross
London North Eastern Railway: The timetable will be extremely limited, we recommend you only travel if absolutely necessary
London Northwestern: While not involved in the Aslef dispute, there will be no services tomorrow
Southeastern: There will be no Southeastern services running on the rail network, so passengers should avoid travelling by train on this day
West Midlands Trains: Will not operate other than a special shuttle between Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International
Steve Montgomery, chairman of the Rail Delivery Group, said: ‘We’re really disappointed that the Aslef leadership has decided to impose yet more uncertainty and disruption for passengers and businesses in a week which has already seen a strike by the RMT.
‘Millions of passengers will have their weekend plans disrupted, particularly those who are working, or going to the Commonwealth Games or the first football match of the season.
‘While we will do all that we can to minimise disruption, if you are going to travel on the routes affected, please plan ahead and check the latest travel advice.
‘If you’re not able to travel, you can use your ticket either the day before or up to and including August 2, otherwise you will be able to change your ticket or claim a refund.
‘Like any service or business, we must move with the times and cannot continue to ask taxpayers or passengers for more money when we should instead respond to the huge changes in travel behaviour post Covid.
‘By making these necessary reforms such ending the reliance on volunteer working at weekend, we improve punctuality, have more resilient Sunday services and use those savings to give our people a pay rise which has always been what we want to do.
‘Further strikes will see our people out of pocket and mean less money to fund a pay rise, so we urge the Aslef leadership to resume talks so we can reach a deal that is fair to staff and taxpayers, and which secures a bright, long-term future of our railway.’
Passengers with advance, off-peak or anytime tickets affected by the strike tomorrow can use their ticket either on the day before the date on the ticket, or up to and including next Tuesday.
Passengers can also change their tickets to travel on an alternate date, or get a refund if their train is cancelled or rescheduled.
Passengers with a season ticket that is monthly or longer, or have an activated days’ worth of travel on a flexi season ticket who choose not to travel tomorrow can claim compensation for these days through the ‘delay repay’ scheme.
Further strikes are planned next month by Aslef and the RMT in the deadlocked row over pay, jobs and conditions.
‘Strikes are always the last resort,’ said Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef.
‘We don’t want to inconvenience passengers, our friends and families use public transport, too, and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike but we’ve been forced into this position by the companies, who say they have been driven to this by the Tory government.
‘Many of our members, who were the men and women who moved key workers and goods around the country during the pandemic, have not had a pay rise since 2019.
London North Eastern Railway services will be very limited tomorrow, with only one train every two hours from London to York
No Southeastern services will run tomorrow during the Aslef walkout which is also affecting a series of other rail operators
‘With inflation running at north of 10 per cent that means those drivers have had a real terms pay cut over the last three years.
How Britons face another month of travel chaos
TODAY, TOMORROW AND SUNDAY
- Train drivers from Aslef union to stage walkouts tomorrow across seven operators, shutting down vast swathes of the network
- As many as half of drivers expected on the roads over the three days, causing gridlock on some major routes
- More cars heading for the Port of Dover than last weekend, with queues of up to several hours possible for Cross-Channel ferries and trains
- First wave of summer holidaymakers who flew abroad last weekend return home, with potential chaos at border control
- More queues expected at airport check-in gates and baggage collection halls as second-busiest week of the summer gets underway
AUGUST 13
- Train drivers from Aslef union across nine operators go on strike, bringing much of the network to a grinding halt
- Roads expected to be much busier due to the strike, adding to weekend traffic
AUGUST 18 AND 20
- Militant RMT union stages national walkouts of staff for Network Rail and 14 train operators, cutting off rural areas with around one in five services overall running
- TSSA rail union also strikes, covering seven operators, meaning less trains can run and stations open
- Roads expected to be much busier due to the strikes on August 20, adding to weekend traffic
AUGUST 19
- RMT workers for London Underground walk out, causing mayhem for commuters and holidaymakers in the capital
AUGUST 27, 28 AND 29
- Rail engineering works mean services cease on swathes of the network
- Bank Holiday traffic could bring some major roads to a standstill, with tailbacks at cross-Channel services in Kent also possible
‘We want an increase in line with the cost of living, we want to be able to buy, in 2022, what we could buy in 2021. It’s not unreasonable to ask your employer to make sure you’re not worse off for three years in a row.
‘Especially as the train companies are doing very nicely, thank you, out of Britain’s railways, with handsome profits, dividends for shareholders, and big salaries for managers, and train drivers don’t want to work longer for less.
‘Wage rises aren’t fuelling inflation. Excess profiteering is, but the Government isn’t asking companies to cut profits or dividend payments to help manage inflation. Wages are chasing prices, not putting them up.
‘We don’t see why we should forego an increase in salary to keep pace with inflation and help the privatised train companies make even bigger profits to send abroad.’
Mr Montgomery also issued an open invitation to Aslef’s leaders to meet with him to hold ‘meaningful talks’ to resolve the dispute.
He said: ‘I am ready and willing to talk to the leadership of Aslef today, tomorrow or indeed anytime next week. They should call off tomorrow’s action and talk to us instead.
‘What our passengers and our staff expect is for us to talk and work out a way through this.’
There will be no London Overground service tomorrow, as well as no Night Overground services both tomorrow night and in the early hours of Sunday.
There will also be no Elizabeth line services between Paddington and Abbey Wood both today and tomorrow, although this is due to planned engineering works to carry out software upgrades to trains and signalling.
Transport for London said: ‘These software upgrades were planned months ago and will ensure the delivery of through-services from Reading, Heathrow, and Shenfield directly into central London later this year.’
All other Transport for London services are expected to operate normally but are expected to be much busier than normal as customers seek alternative routes.
Andy Lord, TfL’s chief operating officer, said: ‘Planned strike action on the national rail network on Saturday will mean disruption for our customers. With no service expected on the entire London Overground network, I advise all customers to check before they travel and use alternative routes to complete their journeys.’
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the train strikes can only be resolved if the Government ‘stops pulling the strings’ and allows rail companies to talk to trade unions.
Speaking during a community visit to Redbridge, East London, today, Mr Khan said he could understand Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer’s desire for frontbench MPs to show ‘collective responsibility’ in the wake of shadow transport minister Sam Tarry’s sacking on Wednesday, after he gave media interviews from a picket line at Euston station.
But Mr Khan said responsibility for the strikes lay firmly with the Conservative administration, which he claimed was hindering negotiations between rail companies and unions.
Cars arrive at the Port of Dover in Kent today as demand for cross-Channel sailings is expected to surge in the coming days
Foot passengers arrive at the Port of Dover in Kent today amid high demand for cross-Channel sailings this summer
Cars arrive at the Port of Dover in Kent today as they make their way across the English Channel to France by ferry
He said: ‘The only reason the strikes are happening is because of mismanagement by the Government, by them interfering with rail companies who want to do a deal with the trade unions.
Night Tube to be fully restored for first time since start of pandemic as strikes are suspended
London’s Night Tube service will be fully restored this weekend for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Transport for London (TfL) said Piccadilly line services will resume running through the night on Fridays and Saturdays. That will represent a complete restoration of the Night Tube network previously available.
All-night weekend services were suspended in March 2020 due to the virus crisis.
They first returned to the Central and Victoria lines in November 2021, followed by the Jubilee line in May and the Northern line earlier this month.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: ‘I’m delighted that from this Friday there will be a complete Night Tube service running once again. The full return of the Night Tube is at the heart of my vision to build a better and safer London for everyone. It shows our city is bouncing back.’
Nick Dent, TfL’s director of customer operations, said: ‘Night Tube provides a safe and quick travel option for all Londoners and visitors looking to make the most of all the capital has to offer in the evenings, and those who need to travel to or from work at night. The summer is the perfect time for Londoners and visitors to enjoy everything in the city and we hope the full return of the Night Tube will be a further boost to the capital’s recovery.’
The return of the Night Tube to the Piccadilly line will be a boost for airline passengers travelling to and from Heathrow Airport.
Heathrow’s chief commercial officer Ross Baker said: ‘We are expecting a busy summer period and we want all of Heathrow’s passengers and colleagues to have access to good public transport at the times they need it. We welcome the reintroduction of the Piccadilly line Night Tube service, to build on the network that keeps the UK’s hub airport connected to London and beyond.’
Long-running strikes on the Night Tube by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) in a dispute over shifts were suspended last week. But there will be no Night Overground service on London Underground tomorrow night due to a strike by the Aslef union.
‘The problems that we’re having around the country are not caused by Keir Starmer or the Labour Party, they’re caused by Grant Shapps, Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson and the Conservative Government.
‘My understanding is the reason why Keir Starmer sacked Sam Tarry is not because he went on the picket line, it is because he did not adhere to collective responsibility and as a party that’s a government-in-waiting, her Majesty’s official opposition, I can understand why Keir Starmer wants the shadow cabinet to behave as they would if they were the cabinet, and to have collective responsibility.’
He added: ‘The key thing though is that the only way these disputes are ever resolved is if Grant Shapps and the Government stops pulling the strings and allows the rail companies to talk to the trade unions. No trade unionist I’ve ever met, no general secretary I’ve ever spoken to wants strikes, nobody wants strikes.’
Adding to the misery faced by rail travellers, Network Rail yesterday announced a string of engineering works a week later over August Bank Holiday weekend.
Signalling and track upgrades mean there will be no services in eastern England on August 27 and 28 from Hertford East to Broxbourne, Meridian Water to Stratford, Ipswich to Ely and Cambridge North, London Liverpool Street to Cheshunt and London Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness via Ockendon.
In a further blow, Network Rail said there will be no replacement buses between Stansted Airport and London stations ‘due to high demand for buses’, meaning passengers face having to fork out for taxis.
Engineering works will also disrupt Bank Holiday services across swathes of the network elsewhere, including between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central, Stoke-on-Trent and Stockport, Birmingham New Street and Nuneaton, Three Bridges and Horsham and Redhill and Tonbridge.
On the roads, the AA warned the worst disruption will likely be on roads leading to cross-Channel services in Kent as more families dash holidays on the Continent.
However, it said a repeat of last week’s scenes could be avoided after Port of Dover bosses held emergency talks with UK and French government officials.
Families got caught in 20-hour tailbacks last Friday and Saturday after French border police only manned around half of passport booths.
But queues could still be several hours long, with travellers having to wait up to two hours to board ferry services yesterday and Wednesday mornings.
Drivers heading towards Devon and Cornwall are also being warned to expect bumper-to-bumper traffic on the M5, A303 and A30.
The south west and western sections of the M25 near Heathrow Airport, the Bristol M4/M5 junction, M6, M42, M1 and M62 are also at risk of coming to a standstill.
The M20, which leads to cross-Channel rail and ferry services in Folkestone and Dover, will also be busy.
Jack Cousens, the AA’s roads policy chief, said: ‘With holiday let switchover days starting tomorrow, mixed with train strikes and a huge weekend of sport, we are concerned that drivers will experience delays across the network with the south of England particularly vulnerable.
‘All eyes will be on Dover and Folkestone, but we believe changes have been made throughout the week and we will keep our fingers crossed for a smoother trip across the Channel.’
Kent authorities demand more Government money to handle Dover chaos
Kent local authorities have called for more Government money to better manage disruption on the roads caused by delays at the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel.
Thousands of people had their cross-Channel journeys disrupted last weekend because of customs delays at the Port of Dover and a serious collision on the M20.
Today the leaders of a number of Kent councils, the chief executive of Visit Kent and the director of public affairs at Getlink, which runs the Eurotunnel, have penned an open letter to the Secretary of State for Transport calling for more investment in Kent’s roads – and more cash in the meantime.
The letter reads: ‘It was another frustrating weekend last week for residents and businesses in Dover, Folkestone and Ashford, cut off from the rest of the world by gridlocked local roads, causing yet more damage to both the local and national economy.
‘The impact is also felt by neighbouring areas, with serious consequences for Kent’s vitally important tourism and visitor economy. This is a bigger problem than Dover and Folkestone. It’s damaging the whole UK economy and Britain’s global reputation.
‘As a nation we are reliant on highly efficient and effective cross-Channel services; nowhere can match the capacity of the short straits crossings from Dover and Folkestone and which remain the first choice for both domestic and international travellers and hauliers. They are an essential part of our national infrastructure and need to be acknowledged as such.
‘But the system is fragile. Any disruption to services quickly escalates out of control. And it is local communities, businesses and tourism across Kent that bear the brunt of these increasingly frequent events. If we want to enjoy holidays abroad, export our goods and welcome in-bound tourists and trade in return, the government must act and produce a long-term solution.
‘This will take time. So, in the interim, we are calling on the government to provide greater resources to the Kent Resilience Forum and its partners so they can more effectively manage disruption on Kent’s roads and extend welfare facilities. The challenge will just get bigger if the government ignores the issue. Next year’s planned introduction of the Entry Exit System which requires biometric checks is set to put our county at the forefront all over again. The clock is ticking and the time to act is now!’
The letter calls for four solutions:
- To invest in Kent’s road network, including but not limited to, dualling the A2 from Lydden to Dover along with improvements to Brenley Corner, and the Whitfield and Duke of York roundabouts
- To develop additional border facilities supported by a network of lorry parks throughout the country
- To create ‘smart’ travel corridors and efficient borders through new technology
- To improve access and capacity for rail freight and high-speed passenger trains.
The letter was signed by the leaders of Dover, Folkestone and Hythe, Ashford, Canterbury, Swale and Thanet district councils, the leader of Kent County Council, Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott, Visit Kent CEO Deirdre Wells OBE and John Keefe, director of public affairs at Getlink.
He urged motorists to carry out vehicle checks, such as oil and water levels and tyre pressure, to avoid unnecessary breakdowns which can worsen traffic queues.
Mr Cousens continued: ‘Breakdowns can make jams worse and last weekend we saw a rise in breakdowns where vehicle checks had not been carried out before setting off.
‘Spending ten minutes checking tyres and fluid levels before setting off can make a big difference in helping people getting to their destination.’
Tens of thousands of families saw the start of their cross-Channel journeys ruined last weekend as the roads approaching Dover were gridlocked, leading to delays of several hours.
This was blamed on a shortage of French border officers and a serious crash on the M20.
The operation was much smoother this morning, with P&O Ferries saying there were ‘no queues at border controls and traffic is free-flowing through the port’.
And a Port of Dover official told the Daily Mail this morning: ‘There is no wait to get through. Everything is working well. We’ve had the peak for today and the rest of the day is steady.’
Eurotunnel also said traffic was moving freely to the terminal off the M20 with no delays at the border checkpoint. Trains were running four times an hour.
The Port’s chief executive Doug Bannister said Brexit was not to blame for last week’s debacle and that if passport booths are manned properly huge tailbacks can be avoided.
He said: ‘We know from how the whole port system performed to clear the equivalent of over 200 miles of freight and tourist traffic combined [once more border police were sent], and get the system back to normal by Sunday morning, that with French border controls fully staffed and the additional booths we have invested in being fully utilised, our collective summer plan works.’
Mr Bannister added yesterday that French border controls are now ‘fully resourced’, which will make a ‘fundamental difference’.
The port said it was expecting 110,000 passengers, including 11,000 lorries and 36,000 cars, to pass through over the next three days from today until Sunday.
This is down from 142,000 passengers and 12,000 between Friday and Sunday last week. However, the number of cars less last week was less – 33,000.
National Highways, which manages England’s motorways and major A roads, said: ‘Drivers travelling in and around Kent are advised to plan ahead as this weekend is likely to be extremely busy.
‘Operation Brock contraflow remains in place on the M20 and is part of a series of measures to improve Kent’s resilience and ensure the smooth flow of traffic through the region in the event of disruption to services across the English Channel.’
And RAC traffic spokesman Rod Dennis said: ‘Analysis of Inrix traffic data shows that long delays are expected on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on the M25 between Bromley and the Dartford Crossing, as well as on the A303 westbound towards Devon.
‘Over the weekend, the M5 southbound near Bristol and M25 clockwise between the junctions for the M23 and M40 motorways are also likely to see some lengthy queues.
‘Drivers using these routes, as well as those through Kent that may be affected by traffic destined for the port at Dover, should prepare for a longer trip and not rely on the first estimated time of arrival given by their sat-navs.
‘Setting off early in the morning is the best way of avoiding the traffic.’
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