A healthcare worker who is hoping to attend the 2022 Glastonbury Festival says he is worried he will not make it due to the rail strikes. The iconic event returns tomorrow for the first time in three years after an enforced Covid break of two years.
However, today's (June 21) strikes from Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union members have forced train operators across Britain to limit their services, with most not running after 6.30pm. This is set to cause issues for those travelling to Glastonbury, where many festival-goers make their way on trains that stop at nearby Castle Cary station.
The limited timetables are also causing issues for NHS worker Huw, who did not wish to share his surname, as he faces problems getting to where he needs to be ahead of the festival. Huw, 28, works in Liverpool and needs to get to Brighton, where he used to live, to get a 7am coach to Glastonbury as part of his ticket to the event.
Read more: How to travel to Glastonbury Festival during the rail strikes
But with the last possible train from Liverpool to London departing at 4pm, Huw - who is working until 9pm today - has missed his chance of getting to the capital before heading to Brighton. He has now bought another coach ticket for £70 on Thursday morning, but he is not sure whether he will be guaranteed entry to the festival.
Huw - who had booked tickets to the 2020 cancelled event - said: “Festival tickets are given out on the coach, so there’s a very real possibility that this rail strike means I can’t actually get into the festival. I’m making my own way from Liverpool on Thursday morning and will be relying on the goodwill of the Brighton coach driver to hand my festival ticket over either to the box office or to my mates who’ll meet me at the gate… hopefully common sense prevails.”
Others have also had their trip to Glastonbury disrupted by the strikes, called over a dispute about pay, jobs and conditions. Rene Mance, 47, who is starting a new job in Glastonbury, said: “I can’t pretend it hasn’t been stressful. It has. I didn’t really sleep very well because I was worried about it.”
In the end, Rene was forced to fork out £40 for a cab to help her get to Paddington Station in London. “For many people, say a mother with kids or someone disabled, it’s absolute chaos,” Rene said.
“My situation, whatever it is, I would have found a way, but you know, some people are not like me. They don’t have money to get in the cab, and it was a total luxury for me, but it worked.”
Read more:
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