Another train strike next Saturday (13 August) could keep football fans and tourists away from Brighton.
About 3,000 Newcastle United fans are expected to head to the Amex stadium in Falmer for Brighton and Hove Albion’s first home game of the new Premier League season.
Some Albion fans also travel a considerable distance for matches at home although most are local.
And, with the Met Office forecasting sunshine and a temperature of about 30C, thousands of visitors are expected to head for the beach.
But rail passengers are being warned of fresh disruption to services because of a planned strike by train drivers at nine companies in the long-running row over pay and conditions.
Industry leaders said that the 24-hour walkout by members of the ASLEF union next Saturday would coincide with another busy weekend of football, affecting matches in London, Manchester, Birmingham and Brighton.
Strike-day timetables are due to be published tomorrow (Tuesday 9 August) but passengers are being advised to follow the latest travel advice, check before they set off and allow extra time for their journey.
The strikes will affect Arriva Rail London, Avanti West Coast, Crosscountry, Greater Anglia (including Stansted Express), Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, London Overground, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains.
Other companies not involved in the strike, such as Southern, Thameslink and the Gatwick Express, will be running trains but these are expected to be busy.
And passengers are also advised to consider starting their journeys later on Sunday 14 August.
Passengers with advance, off-peak or anytime tickets affected by the strike can use their ticket on the day before the date on the ticket or up to and including Tuesday 16 August.
Alternatively, they can change their tickets to travel on an alternate date or get a refund if their train is cancelled or rescheduled.
Rail Delivery Group chairman Steve Montgomery said: “We’re really disappointed that the ASLEF leadership has, for the second time in as many weeks, decided to impose yet more uncertainty for passengers and businesses by disrupting passengers’ weekend plans.
“I will reiterate what I’ve previously said – I am ready and willing to talk to the leadership of ASLEF today, tomorrow or indeed any time next week.
“They should call off next week’s action and talk to us instead. What our passengers and our staff expect is for us to talk and work out a way through this.
£60k not enough money to press a lever…
Get back to work – NO ONE CARES….
I understand they’ve been offered 5% for a year.
Inflation is currently running at over 9%
Give them a realistic rise ffs in line with inflation.
I note MP’s are on £84K. How is that right – a pack of idiots and liars carrying on like school children… many of them with 2 jobs – they should modernise politics and get rid of the lot of them and the country run by professional people qualified to do so.