The biggest rail strike in more than three decades threatens to wreak havoc across the country on some of the most important events of the summer.
A union leader says industrial action for three days later this month will “shut down the system.”
Tens of thousands of RMT members will comment on three key issues: salary, compulsory dismissals and security issues.
Sky News takes a look at the train lines and events that will be affected, including the return of the world’s largest music festival for the first time since 2019, international sports matches and meetings with Commonwealth heads of state.
When is the strike scheduled?
RMT union departures are scheduled for June 21, 23 and 25.
Up to 50,000 of its members via Network Rail, 13 train and London Underground operators will go on strike on 21 June in “the biggest industrial action outbreak in the UK since 1989.”
An estimated 40,000 railroad workers, excluding Metro staff, will go on strike on June 23 and 25, the union said.
Services are likely to be affected throughout the week due to side effects on trains and crews.
Strike dates follow polls that ended last month.
Read more on Sky News: Passengers cry while 150 more flights are canceled. Glastonbury announces its full schedule
Which lines are affected?
- Chiltern Railways
- Background trains
- Great England
- LNER
- East Midlands Railway
- c2c
- Northern trains
- South East
- Southwestern Railroad
- Great Western Railway
- TransPennine Express
- Next West Coast
- West Midlands trains
What events could be interrupted?
Image: Sir Elton John performs at Hyde Park on June 24th
The strike threatens to cause travel misery to thousands of people traveling across the country for various events.
The most important music event of the summer, the Glastonbury Festival returns after a three-year hiatus from the June 22 pandemic.
More than 200,000 partygoers will descend on Worthy Farm in Somerset for five days of music and entertainment.
Many would plan to travel to the site by train on the Great Western Railway, which connects London with the south-west.
Cricket fans heading to Leeds for the test match between England and New Zealand on 23 June can expect delays.
Other sporting events this week include the British Athletics Championships in Manchester from 24 to 26 June.
Image: Stonehenge will welcome the festivities for the summer solstice on June 21st
Sir Elton John will perform at BST Hyde Park on June 24, with the Rolling Stones taking to the stage the next day.
There will also be a Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in London on 24 and 25 June and it is Armed Forces Day on 25 June, with events planned across the country.
The summer solstice will be celebrated at Stonehenge on June 21, when visitors from around the world gather at night to celebrate the shortest day of the year and watch the sun rise over the stones of Wiltshire.
People hoping to see the London Symphony Orchestra play the Triomphal concert at St Paul’s Cathedral on 23 June could also be affected by the strike.
Passengers returning from the Isle of Wight Festival and the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh could also be delayed, as both events end the day before the strike.