No jams tomorrow

For many, today’s bank holiday (albeit not for Scotland) represents the end of a somewhat indifferent summer, though glorious weather is belatedly promised for much of the country. But for those away from home the enjoyment of the last glimmerings of August is inevitably blighted by roadworks and other transport disruption.

This year seems more problematic than usual. In London several mainline train stations have either been closed or their services severely curtailed, pushing more travellers on to the roads. Millions of motorists are expected to head home today, with traffic jams on the motorways likely to be worse than ever, not least because the trains cannot be relied on to provide an alternative.

Network Rail has been carrying out £130 million of upgrades and improvements at several key commuter termini in the capital, including Waterloo, Charing Cross, Euston and London Bridge. It has been billed as the biggest weekend of engineering schemes ever planned.

It is good to see such investment in the railways to improve capacity and make the service more reliable and enjoyable for commuters who face steep rises in fares. Major improvements are also planned for Manchester, Bristol and Liverpool.

Since this work has to be done, now is as good a time as any to carry it out in London, with many people on holiday and the pressure on the stations significantly reduced. But we have seen in years past how such projects can overrun and cause chaos when people return to their offices. A few years ago, failure to complete engineering works over the Christmas holidays left commuters stranded when they went back to work. Let’s hope Network Rail has learnt the lessons of that episode.