Congestion expected to peak on Friday while Saturday due to be Heathrow’s busiest day

This article is more than 9 months old

This article is more than 9 months old

Congestion during the great festive getaway is expected to peak on Friday afternoon, although motorists may face lighter traffic than usual due to staggered holidays and a midweek Christmas, driving organisations have said.

Analysis showed Thursday 19 and Friday 20 December would be the busiest days, with more than 17 million drivers on main roads and motorways between commuter traffic and people driving home for Christmas.

AA polling of its members showed a predicted peak from 4pm on Friday, as well as a last-minute shopping rush on Saturday. It said staggered holiday dates would allow some families to travel earlier, while Christmas falling on a Wednesday could also help spread journeys out.

Traffic delays can be expected on Friday on stretches of motorway including on the M25, the M5 between Bristol and Weston-super-Mare and the M6 around Birmingham, the AA said.

The RAC warned there could be long queues on the northbound M1 on Sunday afternoon, according to data from the traffic analysts Inrix.

However, it said people driving home for Christmas early next week could expect a quieter journey, with work and business traffic falling away.

Further relief for motorists has come from Highways England, which said that 98% of England’s motorways and major A-roads would be clear of roadworks between Friday and 2 January.

Network Rail said the vast majority of the railway would be open, aside from a two-day closure on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, when more than 20,000 staff will be involved in £100m of engineering projects.

Work on the Great Western Railway will mean no trains from London Paddington between 24-27 December, and a reduced timetable between 28-31 December.

Engineering works taking place at London King’s Cross will affect services running north until late on Friday 27 December, while work near Liverpool Street station will affect Greater Anglia services over the holidays.

The busiest day at Britain’s biggest airport, Heathrow, is expected to be on Saturday 21 December, when 255,133 passengers are due to fly in or out.

British Airways said more than 1 million customers would use the airline over the festive period, with New York, Los Angeles, Johannesburg and Cape Town its top long-haul destinations. Crew expect to serve more than 100,000 traditional Christmas dinners.

The UK aviation industry is relaunching its “One Too Many” campaign to warn passengers of the consequences of overly festive behaviour at airports, including £80,000 fines for drunken passengers who disrupt flights.