May Bank Holiday Weekend Train Travel Guide 2024

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Yes, trains will be running over the Early May Bank Holiday Weekend from Saturday 4th May to Monday 6th May 2024.

However, there may be some disruption to your journey as there are planned engineering works taking place across both May Bank Holiday weekends. It’s important to check ahead of time so you can best plan your route. See below for more details about disruption over the next Bank Holiday weekend.

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Disruption: Early May Bank Holiday

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Across the Early May Bank Holiday weekend, engineering work will be taking place on the following parts of the network:

London Euston to Milton Keynes Central
Rugby to Birmingham New Street
Coventry to Birmingham New Street
Stafford to Crewe

Throughout the long weekend:

Trains between London Euston and Holyhead will run between Holyhead and Crewe only.
No trains will run between Rugby and Birmingham New Street
Rail replacement buses will operate between Crewe and Preston.

There will be the following additional disruptions on each day:

Saturday 4th May 2024

Due to engineering work taking place between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central, and in other locations, there will be a reduced service on all trains to and from London Euston.
An hourly shuttle service will run between Birmingham International and Stafford, via Birmingham New Street.
Due to engineering work between Coventry and Birmingham New Street, buses will replace trains between Rugby and Birmingham International via Coventry.
A shuttle service will run between Birmingham New Street and Stafford.

Sunday 5th May 2024

Due to engineering work closing the lines between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central, no trains will run between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central. A reduced service will run to and from Milton Keynes Central.
No services will run to and from Scotland as the line north of Carlisle is closed for engineering work. Replacement buses will run between:
- Preston and Carlisle.
- Carlisle and Glasgow.
No services will run to and from Liverpool Lime Street as the line to / from Liverpool is closed for engineering work
An hourly shuttle service will run between Birmingham International and Crewe, via Birmingham New Street, Stafford and Alsager.
Due to engineering work between Crewe and Liverpool South Parkway, buses will replace trains between Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street.
Due to engineering work between Coventry and Birmingham New Street, buses will replace trains between Rugby and Birmingham International via Coventry.
A shuttle service will run between Birmingham New Street and Crewe via Alsager.

Monday 6th May 2024

Due to engineering work taking place between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central, and in other locations, there will be a reduced service on all trains to and from London Euston.
A shuttle service will run between Birmingham New Street and Stafford.
Due to engineering work between Coventry and Birmingham New Street, buses will replace trains between Rugby and Birmingham International via Coventry.

c2c

Caledonian Sleeper

Chiltern Railways

CrossCountry

East Midlands Railway

Elizabeth line

Gatwick Express

Grand Central

Great Northern

Great Western Railway

Saturday 4th May 2024

Due to engineering work between Reading and Guildford, buses will replace trains between Reading and Guilford.
Due to engineering work between Didcot Parkway and Oxford, the following changes will apply:
- The 22:04 Banbury to Didcot Parkway service will terminate at Oxford. A replacement bus will run from Oxford to Didcot Parkway.
- The 22:45 Didcot Parkway to Oxford service will not run, and will be replaced by a bus.
- The 23:20 Didcot Parkway to Oxford service will not run. You should travel by earlier or later services.
- The 23:00 Oxford to London Paddington will start at Didcot Parkway later than usual. A replacement bus will run from Oxford at 23:05 to Didcot Parkway, connecting with the train.
- The 22:50 and 23:33 London Paddington to Oxford services will terminate at Didcot Parkway.

Sunday 5th May 2024

Due to engineering work between Reading and Guildford, buses will replace trains between Reading and Guilford.
Due to engineering work between London Paddington and Maidenhead, the following changes will apply:
- The 06:38 London Paddington to Reading service will start from Maidenhead. An earlier replacement bus will run from London Paddington to Maidenhead, to connect with the train.
- High Speed services will be amended to run up to 13 minutes earlier or later than usual. These services will additionally call at Slough, Maidenhead and Twyford.
- Most trains between London Paddington and Didcot Parkway will run between Reading and Didcot Parkway only.

Monday 6th May 2024

Due to early morning engineering work between Reading and Guildford, the following changes will apply:
- The 06:27 Reading to Gatwick Airport will start earlier than usual at 06:17, and will call additionally at Crowthorne, Sandhurst, Farnborough North, Ash, Shalford, Chilworth, Gomshall, Dorking West and Betchworth. It will terminate Redhill. Rail connections are available between Redhill and Gatwick Airport.
- The 06:51 Reading to Redhill will not run. Customers are advised to travel by earlier or later services.
- The 07:20 Reading to Gatwick Airport will call additionally at Chilworth and Dorking West.
- The 07:59 Gatwick Airport to Reading will start from Redhill at 08:12. An earlier rail service will run between Gatwick Airport and Redhill to connect with the train.

Greater Anglia

Heathrow Express

Hull Trains

Island Line

London North Eastern Railway (LNER)

London Northwestern Railway

Saturday 4th May 2024

Due to engineering work between Stafford and Crewe, the following reduced service will operate:
- Trains between Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street will run between Birmingham New Street and Stafford and between Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street only.
- Trains between Birmingham New Street and Crewe will run between Birmingham New Street and Stafford only.
- Train services between London Euston / Northampton and Crewe will run between London Euston / Northampton and Stafford only.
- Trains between Stafford and Crewe (via Stoke-on-Trent) will run as normal.
- Rail replacement buses will operate between Stafford and Crewe.
Due to engineering work between Coventry and Birmingham New Street, the following reduced service will operate:
- Buses will replace trains between Coventry and Birmingham International.
- Trains between London Euston / Northampton and Birmingham New Street will run between London Euston / Northampton and Coventry and between Birmingham International and Birmingham New Street (at a reduced level of frequency).
- Trains between Coventry and Birmingham New Street will run between Birmingham International and Birmingham New Street only.

Sunday 5th May 2024

Due to engineering work train services between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central will not run. Trains will terminate and start back from Milton Keynes Central and will not run through to central London.
Due to engineering work between Stafford and Crewe, the following reduced service will operate:
- Trains between Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street will run between Birmingham New Street and Stafford and between Crewe and Runcorn only.
- Trains between Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street will run between Crewe and Runcorn only.
- Trains between Stafford and Crewe (via Stoke-on-Trent) will run as normal.
- Rail replacement buses will operate between Stafford and Crewe and between Runcorn and Liverpool South Parkway. You are advised to travel on Merseyrail train services between Liverpool South Parkway and Liverpool Central
Due to engineering work between Coventry and Birmingham New Street, buses will replace trains between Coventry and Birmingham International.
- Trains between London Euston / Northampton and Birmingham New Street will run between London Euston / Northampton and Coventry and between Birmingham International and Birmingham New Street (at a reduced level of frequency).
- Trains between Coventry and Birmingham New Street will run between Birmingham International and Birmingham New Street only.
Due to engineering work between Crewe and Liverpool South Parkway, buses will replace trains between Runcorn and Liverpool South Parkway. You should use Merseyrail services between Liverpool South Parkway and Liverpool.

Monday 6th May 2024

Due to engineering work between Stafford and Crewe, the following reduced service will operate:
- Trains between Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street will run between Birmingham New Street and Stafford and between Crewe and Runcorn only.
- Trains between Birmingham New Street and Crewe will run between Birmingham New Street and Stafford only.
- Train services between London Euston / Northampton and Crewe will run between London Euston / Northampton and Stafford only.
- Trains between Stafford and Crewe (via Stoke-on-Trent) will run as normal.
- Rail replacement buses will operate between Stafford and Crewe and between Runcorn and Liverpool South Parkway. You are advised to travel on Merseyrail train services between Liverpool South Parkway and Liverpool Central.
Due to engineering work between Coventry and Birmingham New Street, buses will replace trains between Coventry and Birmingham International.
- Trains between London Euston / Northampton and Birmingham New Street will run between London Euston / Northampton and Coventry and between Birmingham International and Birmingham New Street (at a reduced level of frequency).
- Trains between Coventry and Birmingham New Street will run between Birmingham International and Birmingham New Street only.

London Overground

Lumo

Merseyrail

Northern

Saturday 4th May 2024

Due to engineering work between Micklefield and York, the following changes will apply:

The 20:19 and 21:18 Blackpool North to York services will terminate at Leeds.
The 20:58 Bridlington to York service will terminate at Hull.
The 22:47 York to Hull service will not run.
The 23:14 York to Leeds service will not run.

Due to engineering work between York and Poppleton, the following changes will apply:

The 21:29 Leeds to York service will terminate at Harrogate.
The 22:44 York to Leeds service will start from Harrogate.

Sunday 5th May 2024

Due to engineering work between Micklefield and York, the following changes will apply:

The 08:15 and 09:20 Leeds to York services will terminate at Micklefield.
The 08:15 Selby to Leeds service will not run.
The 08:22 York to Leeds service will not run.
The 08:39 Hull to York service will terminate at Selby.
The 08:51 and 10:01 York to Hull services will start from Selby.
The 09:20 and 10:07 Leeds to York services will terminate at Micklefield.
The 09:22 and 10:20 York to Blackpool North services will start from Leeds.
Rail replacement buses will run between York and Micklefield / Leeds / Selby / Hull.

Due to engineering work between York and Poppleton, the following changes will apply:

The 09:05 Leeds to York service will terminate at Harrogate.
The 09:46 and 10:47 York to Leeds service will start from Harrogate.
Rail replacement buses will run between York and Harrogate.

Due to engineering work between Maryport and Carlisle, buses will replace trains between Workington and Carlisle. Trains will run between Barrow-in-Furness and Maryport.

Due to engineering work taking place between Chester and Liverpool Lime Street / Manchester Piccadilly, the following changes will apply:

Buses will replace trains between Hunts Cross and Liverpool Lime Street.
Train services will run between Hunts Cross and Manchester Oxford Road.
Trains that usually run between Leeds and Chester will be amended to run between Leeds and Liverpool Lime Street. You should use other Northern services between Manchester and Chester.

Monday 6th May 2024

Due to engineering work taking place between Chester and Liverpool Lime Street / Manchester Piccadilly, the following changes will apply:

Buses will replace trains between Helsby and Ellesmere Port.
Buses will replace trains between Hunts Cross and Liverpool Lime Street.
Train services will run between Hunts Cross and Manchester Oxford Road.
Trains that usually run between Leeds and Chester will be amended to run between Leeds and Liverpool Lime Street. You should use other Northern services between Manchester and Chester.

Due to engineering work between Wigan Wallgate / Wigan Northwestern and Bolton / Preston / Salford Crescent, the following changes will apply:

Trains between Headbolt Lane and Blackburn will run between Headbolt Lane and Wigan Wallgate, and between Salford Crescent and Blackburn.
Train services to / from Moses Gate, Farnworth and Kearsley will be retimed and amended.
Replacement buses will run between:
- Buckshaw Parkway and St Helens Central via Euxton Balshaw Lane and Wigan North Western.
- Southport and Wigan Wallgate.
- Wigan Wallgate and Bolton.
- Wigan Wallgate and Salford Crescent via Atherton.

ScotRail

South Western Railway

Saturday 4th May 2024

Due to engineering work between Basingstoke and Winchester, buses will replace trains between Basingstoke and Winchester.
Due to engineering work between Aldershot and Guildford, buses will replace trains between Aldershot and Guildford.
Due to engineering work between Salisbury and Gillingham, the following changes will apply:
- The 22:50 and 23:39 London Waterloo to Salisbury services will terminate at Andover. Buses will run between Andover and Salisbury.
- The 22:44 Salisbury to Salisbury service and the 23:11 Romsey to Salisbury service will terminate at Romsey. Buses will run between Romsey and Salisbury.
- The 23:00 Exeter St Davids to Salisbury service terminates at Gillingham. A replacement bus will run between Gillingham and Salisbury.

Sunday 5th May 2024

Due to engineering work between Basingstoke and Winchester, buses will replace trains between Basingstoke and Southampton Central / Fareham, and between Romsey and Southampton Central.
Due to engineering work between Aldershot and Guildford, buses will replace trains between Aldershot and Guildford.
Due to engineering work between Bracknell and Reading, buses will replace trains between Bracknell and Reading.
Due to engineering work between Salisbury and Gillingham, the following changes will apply:
- The 06:45 and 07:27 Salisbury to London Waterloo services will start from Andover and the 08:44 and 09:44 Salisbury to Reading services will start from Andover. Buses will run between Salisbury and Andover.
- The 06:54 Salisbury to Exeter St Davids service will start from Gillingham. A replacement bus will run between Salisbury and Gillingham.
- The 08:04 Basingstoke to Exeter St Davids service and the 08:15 London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids service will terminate at Andover. Buses will run between Andover and Gillingham.
- The 08:24 Exeter St Davids to London Waterloo service and the 07:29 and 08:29 Yeovil Junction to London Waterloo services will terminate at Gillingham and then restart from Andover. Buses will run between Gillingham and Andover.
- The 10:08 Salisbury to Romsey service will depart later at 10:10.
- The 07:41 Salisbury to Reading service will not run.
- The 08:08 Salisbury to Salisbury service will not run.
- The 08:20 Salisbury to Romsey service will not run.
- The 09:12 Reading to Salisbury service will not run.

Monday 6th May 2024

Due to engineering work between Basingstoke and Winchester, buses will replace trains between Basingstoke and Winchester.

Southeastern

Saturday 4th May 2024

No changes to train services have been announced.

Sunday 5th May 2024

Due to engineering work taking place between Sole Street and Rainham, and between Strood and Rainham, some lines will be closed.
- Sole Street Line: Trains between London Victoria and Ramsgate / Dover Priory via Chatham will only run between London Victoria and Sole Street. Additional trains will run between Rainham and Ramsgate / Dover Priory.
- Highspeed via Gravesend: Trains between London St Pancras International and Ramsgate via Faversham will only run between London St Pancras International and Strood.
- Sheerness Line: Trains between Sittingbourne and Sheerness-on-Sea will be retimed.
- Sidcup Line: Trains between London Charing Cross and Gravesend via Sidcup will not run. Services which usually only run between London Charing Cross and Dartford via Sidcup will stop additionally at Albany Park and will be extended to run to / from Strood.
All lines will be closed due to engineering work in the Tonbridge area.
- Hastings Line: Trains between London Charing Cross and Hastings will only run between London Charing Cross and Sevenoaks. Additional trains will run between Tunbridge Wells and Hastings.
- Paddock Wood Line: Trains between London Charing Cross and Ramsgate / Dover Priory via Tonbridge will run hourly, and be diverted between London Bridge and Ashford International to run via Maidstone East calling additionally at Otford (for connections to / from Sevenoaks) and Maidstone East. At Ashford International, the train will divide and one portion of coaches will run between Ashford International and Ramsgate via Canterbury West, and the other portion will run between Ashford International and Dover Priory via Folkestone Central. Additional trains will run between Paddock Wood and Ashford International.

Monday 6th May 2024

Network Rail will be carrying out essential maintenance on the lines between Ashford International and Ramsgate via Canterbury West.

From 23:50, buses replace trains between Ashford International and Canterbury West / Ramsgate. Network Rail will be carrying out essential maintenance on the lines between Faversham and Ramsgate via Margate. From 23:30, buses replace trains between Faversham and Margate / Ramsgate.

Southern

Stansted Express

Thameslink

Saturday 4th May 2024

Due to engineering work in the Cambridge area, buses will replace trains between Royston and Cambridge / Cambridge North.
Due to late night engineering work between Luton and Bedford, after 23:59 buses will replace trains between these stations.

Sunday 5th May 2024

Due to engineering work in the Cambridge area, buses will replace trains between Royston and Cambridge / Cambridge North.
Due to engineering work between London Blackfriars and Sutton / Wimbledon, no Thameslink trains will run between these stations. You can use Southern trains, London Buses / London Trams / London Underground to complete your journey.
Due to engineering work in the London Blackfriars area, Thameslink services between London Blackfriars and Sevenoaks will be amended to run between London Victoria and Sevenoaks instead. You can use London Underground services between London Blackfriars and London Victoria.
Due to engineering work in the Rainham area, no Thameslink trains will run between Gravesend and Rainham. You can use Southeastern replacement buses between Gravesend and Rainham.
Due to early morning engineering work between Luton and Bedford, until 08:05 buses will replace trains between these stations.
Due to early morning engineering work between Alexandra Palace and Welwyn Garden City, until 07:15 buses will replace trains between these stations.
Due to early morning and late night engineering work between Haywards Heath and Brighton, until 08:15 and after 23:35 buses will replace trains between these stations.

Monday 6th May 2024

A Saturday service will operate on Bank Holiday Monday, subject to the following engineering work.

Due to engineering work in the Cambridge area, buses will replace trains between Royston and Cambridge / Cambridge North.
Due to early morning engineering work between Haywards Heath and Brighton, until 05:00 buses will replace trains between these stations.
Due to late night engineering work between Stevenage and Cambridge, after 23:55 buses will replace trains between these stations.

TransPennine Express

Saturday 4th May 2024

Due to engineering work between St Helens Central and Preston, no TransPennine Express services will run between Liverpool Lime Street and Preston. You should use other train services to complete your journey.
Due to overnight engineering work between York and Northallerton, between 22:45 on Saturday night and 10:45 on Sunday morning, there will be no trains through York. Buses will replace trains between York and Scarborough / Saltburn / Newcastle.
Due to engineering work taking place at Hull station, the following changes will be made:
- 16:21 Manchester Piccadilly to Hull service will start earlier than usual, at 16:15.
- 21:54 Liverpool Lime Street to Hull service will terminate at Leeds.
- 23:09 Hull to Leeds service will not run.

Sunday 5th May 2024

Due to engineering work closing the West Coast Main Line between Carlisle and Glasgow Central, buses will replace TransPennine Express trains between Oxenholme Lake District and Carlisle, and also between Carlisle and Edinburgh.
Due to engineering work between St Helens Central and Preston, no TransPennine Express services will run between Liverpool Lime Street and Preston. You should use other train services to complete your journey.
Due to engineering work, buses will replace TransPennine Express trains between Warrington Central and Liverpool Lime Street.
Due to overnight engineering work between York and Northallerton, between 22:45 on Saturday night and 10:45 on Sunday morning, there will be no trains through York. Buses will replace trains between York and Scarborough / Saltburn / Newcastle.
Due to engineering work taking place at Hull station, the 08:03 Hull to Manchester Piccadilly will be retimed to start at 08:05.

Monday 6th May 2024

Due to engineering work between St Helens Central and Preston, no TransPennine Express services will run between Liverpool Lime Street and Preston. You should use other train services to complete your journey.
Due to engineering work, buses will replace TransPennine Express trains between Warrington Central and Liverpool Lime Street.
Due to engineering work closing the line between Huddersfield and Leeds via Dewsbury, trains will be diverted to run via Castleford. Trains to and from Hull will run between Leeds and Hull only, and trains to and from Scarborough will run between York and Scarborough only. Rail-replacement buses will be available.

Transport for Wales

West Midlands Railway

London to Edinburgh

London to Brighton

London to Manchester

Manchester to London

Birmingham to London

Edinburgh to London

London to Liverpool

1. Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival

When? 1st–6th May 2024
Where? Speyside and Strathspey, Scotland

Whisky lovers the world over know the Speyside single malt. The Spirit of Speyside Whisky festival opens the doors of the region's best-known distilleries and hospitality spots for 6 full days of tours, whisky tastings and whisky-paired meals.

How to get there: From Edinburgh, take the train to Aviemore. From Inverness, take the train to Aviemore, Elgin or Keith. From Aberdeen, take the train to Elgin or Keith. Trains are operated by Scotrail.

2. Brighton Festival

When? 4th–26th May 2024
Where? Brighton, East Sussex, England

Three weeks of culture and fun kick off in Brighton this Early May Bank Holiday weekend. Expect world-class music, theatre, film, art, dance, comedy and family events at venues across the city. And if you need to take a break between shows, just head to the beach!

How to get there: Catch a train to Brighton — it's only an hour from London. From the station, it’s just a short walk to the beach.

3. Cheltenham Jazz Festival

When? 1st–6th May 2024
Where? Montpellier Gardens, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, GL50 1UL

One of the UK's top jazz festivals builds to a climax over the Early May Bank Holiday weekend with a star-studded line up: Dionne Warwick, Gregory Porter, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Jack Savoretti and Snarky Puppy. Acts perform in the Festival Village in Montpellier Gardens and in other venues across the city.

How to get there: Take the train to Cheltenham Spa station. It's 2 hours from London, 45 mins from Birmingham and as little as 40 minutes from Bristol. From Cheltenham Spa station, it’s just a 25 minute walk or 15 minute bus ride to Montpellier Gardens

Book in advance

Keep your eyes peeled for Advance tickets – they are usually released around 12 weeks before the departure date and tend to be cheaper than buying on the day.

Use a Railcard

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Get split tickets

Did you know it’s sometimes cheaper to split your train journey into sections rather than buying one ticket? Our clever app feature SplitSave does this all for you! Find out more about SplitSave.

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Train travel on Early May Bank Holiday weekend 2024

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Are trains running on Early May Bank Holiday weekend 2024?

Disruption: Early May Bank Holiday

Popular UK train journeys

Early May Bank Holiday weekend events

Get cheap train tickets

UK Airport transfers

Explore Europe by train

Disruption information by train operating company: Early May Bank Holiday

Avanti West Coast

c2c

Caledonian Sleeper

Chiltern Railways

CrossCountry

East Midlands Railway

Elizabeth line

Gatwick Express

Grand Central

Great Northern

Great Western Railway

Greater Anglia

Heathrow Express

Hull Trains

Island Line

London North Eastern Railway (LNER)

London Northwestern Railway

London Overground

Lumo

Merseyrail

Northern

ScotRail

South Western Railway

Southeastern

Southern

Stansted Express

Thameslink

TransPennine Express

Transport for Wales

West Midlands Railway

Popular UK train journeys for Early May Bank Holiday weekend 2024

London to Edinburgh

London to Brighton

London to Manchester

Manchester to London

Birmingham to London

Edinburgh to London

London to Liverpool

3 of the best events to attend on the Early May Bank Holiday weekend and how to get there by train

1. Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival

2. Brighton Festival

3. Cheltenham Jazz Festival

Cheap train tickets for the bank holiday weekend

Book in advance

Use a Railcard

Get split tickets

UK airports transfers by train

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Trains to London Gatwick Airport

Trains to Manchester Airport

Trains to Birmingham Airport

Trains to Edinburgh Airport

Trains to London Stansted Airport

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Explore Europe by train

London to Paris

London to Amsterdam

London to Brussels

Paris to Amsterdam

Barcelona to Madrid

Rome to Florence

Amsterdam to Paris

Milan to Lake Como

Rome to Venice

Madrid to Barcelona

Find out more about train travel in the UK

Guides to cheap train travel

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