As the Easter weekend approaches, millions of Britons are preparing to take to the roads, rails, and skies – but travellers are being warned of widespread delays and disruption. From traffic gridlock to rail engineering works and airport strikes, Easter 2025 is shaping up to be a testing time for holidaymakers.
Roads: 19 million journeys anticipated
Good Friday alone is expected to see over 19 million car journeys, according to the AA, which anticipates a 15% rise in Easter travel due to the late date and improved weather forecast compared to last year.
The busiest routes are expected to include:
- The M25 (particularly the south and west sections between the M23 and M40)
- The M5 near Bristol
- The A303 through Wiltshire
- The M6 around Birmingham and Blackpool
Operation Brock, a traffic control system, is now in effect in Kent, targeting the M20 corridor between junctions 8 and 9. It includes reduced speed limits and segregated lanes for lorries heading to the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel.
To add to the challenge, overnight roadworks on the M25 will resume from 22–25 April between 10pm and 5:30am, with partial lane closures.
Rail: Major engineering works and closures
Rail travellers are also being warned of extensive engineering works that will disrupt thousands of journeys across the UK.
The most severe disruption will affect London Euston, the country’s 10th busiest railway station. All lines into and out of Euston will be completely shut from Saturday 19 April to Monday 21 April, affecting services including Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway.
Further closures and reduced services include:
- Elizabeth line: Reduced services between Heathrow Terminal 4–Paddington and Maidenhead
- Southern, Gatwick Express & Southeastern: Limited or no services to/from London Victoria due to works at Clapham Junction
- Paddington Station: Disruption due to planned works
- Caledonian Sleeper: Diverted to King’s Cross via the East Coast Main Line
- London Marylebone to Aylesbury: Closed due to HS2 bridge works
- Norwich, Ipswich, Colchester to Liverpool Street: Closed Sunday and Monday, with bus replacements
- Carlisle to Edinburgh and Glasgow: Buses replacing trains for track renewal
- Services impacted in Manchester, Stockport, Leeds, Huddersfield, Cambridge and Southampton
In addition, strike action by ASLEF is planned over Easter Saturday and Sunday on the Hull Trains network. ASLEF general secretary Mick Whelan cited safety concerns and management failures at the company.
More Read
Airports: Strikes at Gatwick, heavy passenger volumes
Those planning to fly will also face challenges. Gatwick Airport, the UK’s second busiest, will be hit by strike action involving baggage handlers, check-in staff and aircraft dispatchers employed by various airlines, including Norwegian, TAP, Delta and Air Peace. The dispute centres on pension arrangements.
The walkout by Unite union members is expected to cause delays and cancellations over the entire Easter weekend.
According to aviation data company Cirium, over 11,000 flights are scheduled to depart from UK airports between Good Friday and Easter Monday, meaning congestion at terminals is likely even at unaffected airports such as Heathrow and Stansted.
Plan ahead to avoid delays
Transport officials are urging the public to check before they travel, leave plenty of time for their journeys, and explore alternative routes or off-peak travel times where possible.
With the combination of strikes, scheduled works and sheer volume of traffic, this Easter could see one of the most disrupted travel periods in recent memory. If you’re heading away for a spring break, preparation is key.
