Great Western Coffee Shop

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Millions of people are on the move this Easter bank holiday weekend amid warnings there could be disruption due to rail engineering works, an airport strike and heavy traffic.

More than 300 maintenance projects will be carried out by Network Rail - including at London Euston Station - over the long weekend, and Gatwick Airport is warning that planned industrial action could impact a "small number of airlines".

On the roads, the RAC has warned there could be "big [traffic] jams" with nearly 20 million people expected to travel on Good Friday.

Weather could also have an impact with yellow warnings for rain issued for parts of south-west England, south Wales and eastern parts of Northern Ireland.

Kevin Groves, Network Rail's head of media, said the vast majority of the rail network - over 95% - was "actually open for business as usual". But he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there were "some pockets" of major work, most significantly at London Euston Station, which would be closed from Saturday to Monday. During this time, there will be no trains running from the station to Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire.

A reduced timetable will operate during the long weekend, and services on the West Coast Main Line will begin and end at Carlisle from Saturday to Monday, with replacement buses covering northern stations.

Meanwhile, half of London Victoria will be shut, with Southeastern trains diverted to London Bridge or London Cannon Street. Routes around Southampton and Brockenhurst will also be hit by closures.

Mr Groves urged passengers travelling during the Easter period to "plan ahead" and check their journeys. But he said the railway network was going to be "actually quieter" than any other Saturday, Sunday or Monday.

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