Latest rail strikes set to impact Derby weekend with more action planned on June 2
Racegoers travelling to Epsom over the Betfred Derby weekend will face further difficulty after the RMT union announced new rail strikes.
The union is in an ongoing dispute with major rail companies over pay and working conditions and more than 20,000 members will take part in industrial action for 24 hours on Friday June 2, when the Betfred Oaks is due to take place.
The news of the disruption comes after the train drivers' union Aslef announced their intention to strike between May 31 and Saturday, June 3, which encompasses both Derby day and the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United at Wembley.
A statement from the Jockey Club on Epsom racecourse's website encouraged racegoers to consider other methods of travel and said: "We are currently looking into all available options as a priority to help racegoers reach the event on Saturday 3 June as a result of the recently announced train strikes.
"This includes working closely with our traffic management teams and investigating alternative routes to the racecourse. We will provide an update as soon as we can and we appreciate your patience."
Thursday's announcement marks the latest in a series of strikes carried out by rail unions which have impacted key race fixtures including Sussex Stakes day at Glorious Goodwood, Coral Gold Cup day at Newbury and during the Cheltenham Festival.
Attendance figures were significantly lower than last year for jump racing's flagship meeting, which racecourse manager Ian Renton partly attributed to industrial action.
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