Southampton vs Leeds United: Football fans set for travel chaos as Saturday strikes could see London trains cancelled

Organised by members of the ASLEF union, the strike comes as part of a long-running dispute about pay and working conditions.

The 24-hour walkout on Saturday (August 13) will coincide with a busy weekend of Premier League football.

The strike will affect services run by Arriva Rail London, Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Greater Anglia, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, London Overground, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains.

Ahead of the previous set of strikes by ASLEF members, Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, said:

"Strikes are always the last resort. We don’t want to inconvenience passengers and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike but we’ve been forced into this position by the companies, who say they have been driven to this by the Tory government.

“Many of our members – who were the men and women who moved key workers and goods around the country during the pandemic – have not had a pay rise since 2019.”

The possible cancellation and reduction of LNER services running between Leeds and London could cause particular difficulty to Leeds United fans.

The Whites are due to face off against Southampton away from home on Saturday at 3pm.

Special strike timetables are due to be published tomorrow (August 9), but passengers are being advised to follow the latest travel advice, check before they set off and allow extra time for their journey.

Companies not involved in the strikes will continue running trains although these services are expected to be busier than normal.