Bank holiday misery for Shropshire rail users and motorists
Rail users and motorists face bank holiday misery this weekend with engineering work and roadworks causing disruption and delays.
No trains will run on the route between Stafford, Wolverhampton and Birmingham on Saturday night, Sunday or Monday.
Bus replacement services have been lined up, with routes up to Shrewsbury and Crewe heavily disrupted.
London Midland, Virgin, CrossCountry and Arriva Trains Wales services are affected by the work, which is due to engineering work between Smethwick Rolfe Street and Stafford.
Journeys will return to normal on Tuesday morning.
Liam Sumpter, area director for Network Rail, apologised for the work and said: "There is never a good time to close the railway so we plan our upgrade and maintenance work to take place at a time which will cause the least disruption to the fewest number of people.
"Upgrading the signalling along this section of railway and renewing level crossings will help to provide a more reliable railway which will cause fewer delays in the future.
"I apologise for any disruption caused and advise passengers to check before they travel for the latest information."
Rail users can check www.nationalrail.co.uk before travelling.
Meanwhile, more than two million Britons will head overseas for the bank holiday weekend - with those staying at home having to contend with busy roads and disrupted rail journeys.
While some are taking to the air to travel to Mediterranean hotspots, anyone getting the car out in the UK will have to compete for road space with an estimated nine million other vehicles.
The Highways Agency said around 164 miles of roadworks on the country's motorways and major A-roads would be completed before the weekend and 110 miles of works would be suspended between Friday and Tuesday.
They include work being halted temporarily on a £4 million scheme to improve one of Shropshire's busiest roundabouts, at Mile End on the A5 at the edge of Oswestry.
It is on a popular through route for holidaymakers heading to Wales and is used by thousands.
The work on the island will resume after the Bank Holiday weekend and will last until early next year.
But for safety reasons a number of roadworks will have to stay in place, including those on the A5 Emstrey island in Shrewsbury.
The narrow lanes and 50mph speed restrictions will remain in place there, with Highways Agency bosses saying they were unable to lift them because of open holes in the road due to ongoing works.
Works will also be ongoing between junction 1 and junction 3 of the M54, near Wolverhampton, where there will be narrow lanes and the hard shoulder closed on the eastbound carriageway.
The first lane will be closed on the eastbound exit slip road and westbound entry slip road at junction 2, with a 50mph speed limit in place over the four miles of roadworks.
But the Highways Agency said it was expecting "nil to slight delays" despite roadworks remaining in place in both areas.
The estimate of more than two million going abroad comes from travel organisation Abta, which said that Spain and its islands as well Greece, Turkey and Tunisia were among the most-popular destinations.
Favourite spots for those going further afield include Florida and Cancun in Mexico, while the most popular city-break destinations include Paris, Amsterdam and Barcelona.
Around 72,000 passengers are expected to depart from Birmingham airport over the weekend.
The RAC said it expected Saturday and Sunday to be the busiest days on the roads, especially with major music festivals at Leeds and Reading in Berkshire.
VisitEngland said 5.1 million Britons were planning an overnight holiday trip in the UK this weekend, with four million planning on taking an overnight trip in England. This was likely to generate some £1.2 billion in tourism spending for the UK economy, £940 million of which will be spent in England.
National Express said it had seen a surge in coach bookings for the bank holiday, with bank holiday Monday expected to be its busiest day.
It added that London was the most popular destination for coach travellers this weekend, followed by Birmingham and then Heathrow airport.
Tourism Minister Helen Grant said: "The bank holiday weekend is set to be a bumper one for domestic tourism, generating over £1 billion in spend for the UK economy.
"From city breaks to days out on the coast, world-class music events to cultural trips, the UK has something for everyone to enjoy."
