Over 5.5 million rail passengers expected over the Bank Holiday weekend

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Over 5.5 million passengers are expected to travel by rail over the bank holiday weekend, according to the Association of Train Operating Companies, with many people expected to take the train to visit friends and family, festivals or beauty spots around the country.

The vast majority of people travelling by train should experience no disruption because of improvement works. Figures from Network Rail and ATOC show that:

  • Around 1,700 more trains will be running this year when compared to the last August Bank Holiday
  • 95% of a normal services will be running
  • Whilst there are roughly the same number of replacement bus services as there were last year, their use has dropped by a third over the last three years.

Across the rail network as a whole, bank holidays tend to be quieter than normal as there are far fewer commuter journeys on the Monday, but certain parts of the country see a rise in the number of leisure travellers.

Where the weather stays fine, popular seaside towns and other tourist destinations, such as Brighton, Bournemouth and Weston-Super-Mare can see substantial increases in passenger numbers over bank holidays when compared to a normal weekend.

Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) said:

“With the last bank holiday of the year coinciding with the end of the school holidays, we’re expecting millions of people to travel by train to see friends and family or to head off on days out around the country.

“The vast majority of people taking the train should experience no disruption because of improvement works.

“Millions of pounds are spent all year round by train companies and Network Rail to improve the railways and ensure that that passengers can benefit from better stations and faster services.”

Robin Gisby, Network Rail’s managing director, network operations said:

“The rail network is open for business this bank holiday weekend with around 95% of services running compared to a normal weekend.

“As Network Rail and train operators continually improve their planning, at each bank holiday passengers will notice fewer changes to their journeys.

“In fact, this August bank holiday weekend around 1,700 extra trains will run compared to the same bank holiday last year – an increase of 3.5%.

“Over the last few years there has been a significant reduction in the number of replacement buses running at bank holidays – since 2009 there has been a decline of 34.4%.

“This bank holiday, in some parts of the country, work is on-going – just like any other weekend – to improve the network and benefit future passenger journeys.

“As always, passengers should check with their train operator or National Rail Enquiries before they travel.”

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