Bristol City supporters hoping to travel to their first game of the season at Hull by train are likely to be hit with severe delays and cancellations with industrial strike action and engineering work due to take place.
As it stands, members of eight train operators are planning a walkout on July 30 that will cause major disruption to all supporters hoping to travel across the country in the curtain-raisers across the Football League.
The strike, which is likely to involve around 40,000 workers from drivers to signalling and track maintenance workers, is the second major disruption after June's walkout. It means most trains will stop running and others will be on a reduced timetable.
ASLEF, the train drivers' union, announced they will hold a strike on July 30 over the lack of pay. The eight companies include Arriva Rail London; Chiltern Railways; Greater Anglia; Great Western; Hull Trains; LNER; Southeastern; and West Midlands Trains.
Travelling north to Hull is likely to be affected. As it stands, travelling from Bristol Temple Meads to Hull will take 4 hours 40 minutes, with a Cross Country service running to Sheffield and then a Northern service onwards to Hull.
However, there is engineering work taking place in Sheffield over that weekend meaning they will run bus replacement services affecting the Northern train operator. The train stops off at Doncaster, which is one of the routes that will be affected. There are 7:35 and 8:35 trains to depart from Bristol with a single fare costing £141. The 9:35 is also due to arrive at 14:14, although that arrival time will be hugely optimistic due to the works.
A message on the Trainline website says: "This journey will not run as shown. A reduced service will be in operation with bus replacements." The route back seems equally, if not more, challenging.
The service at 18:36 and 19:26 are not currently running while the train before, at 17:25 will also be impacted by disruption and bus replacements. The following service, at 20:08, will take 15 hours and 35 minutes to get back to Bristol with four changes.
There are no trains for those travelling from London as the two companies who provide service Hull Trains and LNER are both on strike. A search on the Trainline site lists all the journeys as 'sold out.'
Fans can take the club's designated coaches which cost £25 for season ticket holders and £30 for non-season ticket holders. They will leave the Winterstoke car park at 8am and have currently sold out two coaches, with tickets still on sale.
Depending on demand, City are open to laying on more coaches. A quote from the club said: "Supporters can rest assured that we will lay on enough transport in the case of strike action."
Supporters can also take the Megabus from Bristol, Bond Street at 6:30am which takes 7 hours and 30 minutes with one change to arrive in Hull for 14:00 but there are no coaches back until the following day.
With any luck, an agreement can be made between the government and train companies to halt the strike. ASLEF general secretary Mick Whelan said: "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."
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