How can I get to Glastonbury throughout the practice strikes?

In a tough accident, after two summers cancelled attributable to Covid-19, Glastonbury Festival falls the identical week as an intense series of UK-wide train strikes.

It comes after members of the RMT rail union voted 8:1 in favour of strike motion over jobs, pay and circumstances.

Their union has known as nationwide rail strikes for 3 dates subsequent week: union members at Network Rail and 13 particular person practice operators will stage 24-hour walkouts on 21, 23 and 25 June.

The industrial motion is more likely to have an effect on companies instantly earlier than and after the strike dates, in addition to the intervening Wednesday and Friday.

National Rail, in addition to a variety of practice operators, have instructed travellers to keep away from utilizing the rail community the place attainable throughout subsequent week.

However, in case you’ve forked out £260-280 for a Glasto ticket, that will not be so simply performed.

Glastonbury runs from Wednesday 22 to Sunday 26 June, so outbound practice companies are more than likely to be affected, however return trains might see disruption from the knock-on results of the strike.

Here’s every part it’s essential to know.

Are trains working to Glastonbury?

The nearest practice station to the Glasto website is Castle Cary, close to the Somerset city of Pilton.

The basic route from London is London Paddington to Castle Cary, lower than two hours direct on GWR, although different companies change at Bath Spa in case you want extra flexibility. This route is about to run throughout the practice strikes.

However, GWR has stated it is going to be working a considerably lowered timetable, with solely 30 per cent of companies working on strike days.

Trains from Bristol Temple Meads and Bath Spa – on the identical London-Taunton route – may also run. Trains from Cardiff Central, altering at Filton Abbey Wood, are additionally anticipated to run on strike days.

Much of Dorset and Cornwall might be lower off from practice routes to the pageant.

Trains from Portsmouth Harbour, Weymouth, Exmouth, Paignton and Barnstaple up in direction of Somerset are set to be worn out by the strikes – although trains will run from Plymouth and Exeter.

No companies from Cornwall – together with Newquay, Looe, Falmouth, Penzance and Gunnislake branches – will run up in direction of Devon and Somerset on the three strike days.

If you’re coming from Wales exterior Cardiff, just a few valley strains exterior can have trains working into the Welsh capital on strike days, so that you’ll must make various preparations to get to Cardiff as a way to catch onward trains to Glastonbury.

From the north of England and Scotland, festival-goers will be capable to connect with a lowered practice service from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool or Manchester. However, practice stations in Cheshire, Lancashire and far of Scotland might be lower off on strike days.

Norwich may also see some trains into London, although a lot of East Anglia is about to be lower off.

Trains from Gatwick Airport to Reading, for connections onward into Somerset, is not going to run.

What in regards to the non-strike days?

National Rail and particular person practice operator bosses have warned that disruption from the strikes will possible bleed into the opposite 4 days of subsequent week. Expect extra passengers than common cramming on to trains and delays to companies.

What options are there to the practice?

Many individuals advocate getting a bus to the Glastonbury website, even when the practice is an choice. This is as a result of arrivals to Castle Cary throughout the pageant want to attend for a shuttle bus to the pageant website, usually leading to large queues and lengthy ready instances. The shuttle bus runs each quarter-hour from Castle Cary on peak arrival days, and each 30 or 60 minutes on different days of the pageant.

National Express runs a direct coach from Bristol City Centre to the pageant website, in addition to 69 different areas, whereas you may get native buses from Bath or Bristol centre.

Meanwhile, FlixBus has elevated day by day companies on strike days, significantly on in style routes between London and Cardiff, Bristol, Reading and Plymouth, amongst others.