Royal wedding: Travel chaos expected as UK visitor numbers surge for Meghan and Harry's big day

Start early and be prepared for crowds queues, well-wishers urged

The royal wedding is triggering a surge in travel which could jeopardise journeys on the big day.

Thousands of extra overseas visitors have arrived in London because of the marriage between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and the rail links to Windsor are likely to be under severe pressure.

Heathrow Airport is reporting that Friday 18 May is much busier for arrivals than either of the two previous Fridays. Over 125,000 passengers are arriving, 15 per cent more than a week earlier.

Chris Garton, the airport’s chief operating officer, said: “The royal wedding has driven an increase in international visitors who wish to experience a uniquely joyful British event.”

The travel tech company, Travelport, reports that flight bookings from the US to the UK this week are 12 per cent ahead of the same period a year ago.

Eurostar reports a 54 per cent surge in inbound travel through the Channel Tunnel from Brussels to London this weekend compared with the same weekend in 2017. Numbers from Paris are up 15 per cent year-on-year, but have been hit by some train cancellations due to a French rail strike.

Hotels in London are enjoying record numbers of guests. A room at one budget hotel, the Premier Inn at County Hall close to Waterloo station, is selling for £146 on Friday night and £189 on Saturday.

The main link from London to Windsor is on South Western Railway from Waterloo, which is the busiest station in Britain.

The train operator is telling passengers: “We are expecting train services to be extremely busy with large numbers of people travelling to Windsor for the Wedding and Royal Procession. If you are intending to travel, please allow plenty of time for your journey.

The number of trains to Windsor & Eton Riverside is to be doubled from two to four an hour.

But South Western Railway warns: “With large numbers of people expected, there may be restricted travel into Windsor for the safety and security of everyone. We will be providing regular updates with the latest information.

“Thames Valley and British Transport Police will be carrying out checks in and around Windsor, to help get through these as quickly as possible we recommend you bring a minimal amount of bags.”

To complicate matters for travellers from London to Windsor, the town is beyond the area for the Oyster Card payment system. Passengers will therefore need to buy paper tickets, which cost £12.40 for a day return.

The alternative approach by rail is from Slough to Windsor & Eton Central on Great Western Railway (GWR).

The shuttle train from the GWR main line will run every 20 minutes, and will have extra carriages.

A queuing system will be in operation at Slough, and queuing systems may also be put in place at Paddington, Waterloo, Reading and Staines.

While journeys to Windsor will be staggered, when the royal procession finishes at around 1.30pm it is expected that tens of thousands of well-wishers will want to leave at once.

“A queuing system will be in place at both Windsor stations,” warn the train operators.

On the London Underground, the Circle Line is closed westbound between Edgware Road and Aldgate, and the District Line is closed between Edgware Road and Richmond, Wimbledon and Ealing Broadway on Saturday, meaning those hoping to reach Paddington to get to Windsor will need to find alternative routes.