How might the RMT strike affect people travelling from London to Glastonbury?

The strike will significantly impact concert goers travelling from London to Glastonbury.
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On the afternoon of 7 June, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) confirmed that three days of strike action would take place, heavily impacting travel across the UK.

In light of the news, it was revealed that this upcoming strike, which will last for three days, will be the biggest rail strike in over 30 years.

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Multiple train companies up and down the country will be affected by this, impacting travel plans.

When is the strike taking place?

As mentioned, the strike is taking place across three days, and the days set out by the RMT are to be Tuesday 21, Thursday 23 and Saturday 25 June.

These dates are not random either, they are believed to be dates when the demand for trains is at its peak during the week, and are set to cause travel havoc, disrupting travel plans for major upcoming events.

It is believed that some 50,000 RMT members will participate in the strike, causing the biggest walkout since 1989.

How will people from London going to Glastonbury be impacted?

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This year, the world famous Glastonbury Festival is to be held between 22-26 June, and will feel the brunt of the walkout, as two days of the festival also coincide with the strikes.

Around 210,000 are expected to descend onto Worthy Farm for one of the biggest music festivals in the world.

With acts such as Billie Eilish, Sam Fender, Wolf Alice, Paul McCartney, Aj Tracey, Kendrick Lamar, Lorde and more set to wow fans with their music, it’s the one festival that you don’t want to miss.

To get to Glastonbury by train, you either go to Bath Spa or Bristol Temple Meads.

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To get from London to these locations you have to use Great Western Railway, which is one of the train companies that will have staff on strike.

Luckily, the strikes aren’t on all of the days that Glastonbury is on, and it would be advised that you travel on those days to avoid travel chaos.

Why are they striking?

There are three key concerns, and reasons for striking, and they are: pay, compulsory redundancies and safety concerns.

The Coronavirus pandemic has reportedly played a part too, as the government demanded savings on a network that was helped up by the taxpayer when passenger numbers collapsed during the pandemic.

What train lines are going to be affected?

The walkout will impact train services all over the UK.

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Speaking to Sky News, Mick Lynch, RMT general secretary said members would: “strike from the north of Scotland to the tip of Cornwall, and all points in between”

The lines that will be impacted are:

  • Chiltern Railways
  • Cross Country Trains
  • Greater Anglia
  • LNER
  • East Midlands Railway
  • c2c
  • Northern Trains
  • South Eastern
  • South Western Railway
  • Great Western Railway
  • TransPennine Express
  • Avanti West Coast
  • West Midlands Trains