Rail strikes plunge football fans’ journeys into chaos as they’re forced to stay home or drive miles

RAIL strikers plunged football fans’ journeys into chaos yesterday.

Premier League supporters had to stay at home or drive miles to their games.

Thousands of fans of teams in other leagues were also hit as 45,000 rail workers walked out over pay and conditions. 

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association and Unite walked out for 24 hours, crippling Network Rail and train firms. 

Lines were only open until 6.30pm for services that ran, leaving footie fans stranded or missing beers after the match.

Southampton supporters travelling to Leicester had the longest road journey in the Premier League with 146 miles. 

Londoner Jonathan Winsky called off his rail trip to Preston to watch Watford.

He said: “The last train back to Euston departs five minutes before kick-off.”

Rail cancellations are also expected today.

Flight attendant Thomas Goodearl, from Ely, Cambridgeshire, says he has spent hundreds of pounds on emergency hotels in the last few weeks because he has not been able to get home due to rail strikes.

He told the BBC: “I came back from Vancouver into London on Thursday and there was no train leaving King’s Cross so I had to stay in a hotel on Thursday night.

"On Friday morning I had no tubes. So I managed to get one of the last two seats on a coach back to my village.

“Sadly, I’ve lost close to £300 to £400 in the past fewweeks on emergency hotels.

“It’s that, or sleeping on Heathrow Airport floor, which Iam not doing.”

The 37-year-old added that he sympathised with striking railworkers and blamed the train companies for not making a deal with unions sooner.

The sides are as far apart as ever in resolving the row despite months of talks aimed at breaking the deadlock, with increasing union anger at the refusal of Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to get involved in negotiations.

The strike follows a walkout on Friday by London Underground workers and some bus drivers in the capital in separate disputes, which caused travel chaos.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch rejected suggestions that rail workers would agree to the current offer on the table if the union put it to a vote.

TSSA members taking action include staff working in ticket offices, stations, control rooms, engineering, as well as planning, timetabling and other support roles.

The union is seeking guarantees of no compulsory redundancies, a pay rise in line with the cost of living, and promises of no unilateral alterations to job terms and conditions.