FA Cup final fans pile into Wembley for Utd v City after frantic road dash amid train strike hell… as stations lie empty
THOUSANDS of football fans are piling into Wembley after a “nightmare” road dash as train strikes wreak havoc.
Hordes of Manchester United and City fans were forced onto planes, busses and cars in the early hours as they scrambled to get to Wembley for the FA Cup final.
One United fan who spent £300 to reach the final described the train strikes as a “nightmare”.
Marty Harris, 46, from Edinburgh, got up at 4am on Saturday to take a flight to Birmingham, drove to Watford, then took a carshare and tube to Wembley with his young son.
He said: “I’m here now so, that’s the main thing.
“It’s been torture, absolute torture. Especially when they’re on 55 grand a year.
“I think people watching will be tired because they’ve got up so early to be here.
“It’s been a nightmare. I don’t know how I’m getting back to Heathrow tonight with the trains off.”
Some of the 90,000 ticket-holders expected to descend on the capital were spotted taking selfies and posing for pictures on a sun-kissed Wembley Way ahead of the 3pm kick off.
Today’s FA Cup final is the first time two Manchester clubs have gone head-to-head in the fixture as they eye up glory – with City aiming to keep their treble hopes alive.
It comes as racegoers heading to the Epsom Derby in Surrey have faced similar misery, as they find alternative routes to the races.
The strikes also threaten to plunge Beyoncé’s concert at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium into carnage as tens of thousands of pop fans take to the roads to make it to her Renaissance tour date.
Saturday’s disruption will also hit those attending the England vs Ireland cricket test match at Lord’s.
Carriages were pictured stacked up at depots this morning as around 12,000 train drivers from the Aslef union walked out in a row over pay and conditions.
The Rail Delivery Group said only around 40 percent of trains will run, with regional variations meaning there would be no services running whatsoever in some areas.
Picket lines will be mounted outside train stations across the country on Saturday, with drivers at 15 companies in England going on strike.
The strike follows a previous walkout by train drivers on Wednesday and by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) on Friday.
Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said while drivers do not want to be on strike, he warned there is “no waning in enthusiasm” for continued industrial action.
He told Sky News: “We are in this if it takes us four years, five years, whatever it is, to get a resolution to this, we will do what it takes to get to that resolution.
“We have gone four years without a pay rise, as have many other sectors and many other workers.
“But to stop now after four years, what will happen, we’ll not get a pay rise next year, the year after, the year after that.”
He said nobody has come to them to say they want to resolve the issue, adding that nobody from the Government has spoken to them in more than six months.
The RDG said the strikes were causing “disappointment and frustration” for tens of thousands of people.
They added: “It will inconvenience families who have been looking forward and have planned their half-term holidays.
“It will also further burden our people who have already lost thousands of pounds at a time of financial strain.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “These strikes have been coordinated by union leaders to disrupt passengers in a week which will see major events such as the first-ever all-Manchester FA Cup final, the Epsom Derby and a number of concerts and festivals across the UK.”
