Millions face rail misery as lines are closed over the Bank Holiday

Rail travellers will be forced to continue their journey by bus - PA

Millions of rail travellers face misery with 700 miles of track closed for maintenance at various times over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Passengers will forced onto replacement buses to continue their journey.

The affected train lines include the London to Birmingham stretch and from the capital to Bedford. Many of these travellers are likely to take to the M1 instead on what is expected to be the year's busiest weekend on the roads.

Other affected train routes include Scarborough-Leeds, Crewe-Preston and Peterborough-Stevenage.

To add to the misery, passengers will have to pay full fares after ministers broke a pledge to cut fares for disrupted journeys. Before sharing power, the Lib Dems promised to make train operators slash costs for passengers who ended up on buses.

Labour's Maria Eagle told the Mirror that the Coalition partners should honour the promise of cut-price tickets on lines affected by maintenance work.

The Shadow Transport Secretary said: "Before the election the Liberal Democrats promised massive discounts on rail tickets for those forced onto a replacement bus service. This August passengers will be asking what happened to that empty promise."

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "These works are essential if we are to deliver the vital improvements our railways need and passengers want. The industry is working to find alternatives to running bus replacement services whenever possible."

The AA has forecast that roads will be clogged with 16 million motorists getting away to visit the coast and relatives, although forecasts of soggy weather may now force some travellers to change their plans.