Easter travel chaos: Thousands queue for ‘hours’ as passengers ‘jump’ London station barriers

Thousands of passengers were left stranded for hours today as the closure of London Euston brought severe overcrowding to several stations. The popular central station was closed for engineering works, meaning travellers flocked to Marylebone, Paddington and St Pancras to make it home for Easter.

On March 29, Network Rail announced that London Euston will be closed over Easter weekend to complete ‘major rail upgrades’ between the station and Scotland. However, the announcement did little to calm the queues which grew across the capital.

Many passengers took to social media to criticise the planned engineering work. One user wrote: Not only dangerously overcrowded but now nearly 40 minutes late due to Network Rail poor infrastructure. This rail system is a joke.” While another asked: Did @networkrail make this decision? They could have chosen a less busy weekend to close Euston.”

Photos of the crowds quickly emerged on social media, with customers warning away potential travellers from London’s busy station. At 3:15pm, one user wrote on Twitter: “If you’re planning to travel from St Pancras today my advice would be don’t.”

Another passenger has noted people ‘jumping over station barriers’ at London St. Pancras.

The crowds are largely due to an annual spell of Easter weekend travel chaos, where residents across the UK set off from their homes to see family and friends. Elsewhere in the UK, drivers are experiencing gridlock on motorways and there is a 90-minute queue at the Port of Dover, according to the Daily Mail.

P&O Ferries said on Twitter: “The roads in and around the Port Of Dover area are extremely busy. Please allow extra time for your journey to the port.”