Rail strike to cause travel chaos to 33 EFL games on first day of new season

Fans of teams in the Championship, League One and League Two face the prospect of travel chaos on the first day of the new season after a train strike was announced.

Saturday, July 30 - the first day of the campaign for the vast majority of clubs - will see train drivers at eight rail companies up and down the country walk out in a dispute over pay.

A total of 5,500 staff at Arriva Rail London, Chiltern Railways, Greater Anglia, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains will strike after talks broke down over pay, with the rail union ASLEF seeking wages to keep pace with the rising cost of living.

The knock-on effect of the strikes will affect thousands of football fans who would normally travel to games by this method. A total of 33 EFL matches take place that day. In addition, the FA Community Shield takes place between Liverpool and Manchester City at Leicester's King Power Stadium on the same day whilst the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham will also be underway.

The women's European Championship final takes place at Wembley on July 31, meaning potential disruption for fans travelling from afar. Many fans are likely to have already pre-booked tickets for travel that weekend.

ASLEF's general secretary Mick Whelan said: "We don't want to go on strike - strikes are the result of a failure of negotiation - and this union, since I was elected general secretary in 2011, has only ever been on strike, until this year, for a handful of days.

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"We don't want to inconvenience passengers - not least because our friends and families use public transport, too, and we believe in building trust in the railways in Britain - and we don't want to lose money by going on strike. But we've been forced into this position by the train companies, driven by the Tory government.

"The drivers at the companies where we are striking have had a real terms pay cut over the last three years - since April 2019. And these companies are offering us nothing, saying their hands have been tied by the government.

"Strike action is, now, the only option available but we are always open to talks if the train companies, or the government, want to talk to us and make a fair and sensible offer."

Nigel Huddleston, the sport minister, gave his reaction on Twitter. He said: "It's hugely disappointing that unions have decided to strike during a fantastic summer of sport which has been in the planning for years.

"This could hugely impact the spectator experience for those planning to travel by train. The strike action comes at a critical stage of the Women's Euros and the start of the Commonwealth Games. We are working with the @FA, @birminghamcg22 organisers, local councils and transport providers to make sure spectators can get to and from venues safely and efficiently."