A worried mum has told how rail strikes mean she faces the prospect of driving 180 miles to get her sons into school to sit their exams. Marta Kotlarek's sons Jacob, 15 and Michael, 18, are taking their GCSEs and A-Levels soon.
The dates of some of their exams, however, clash with the biggest rail strike in 30 years, which is predicted to bring the network to a halt across the UK later this month.
Members of the Rail, Maritime, and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 13 train operators will strike on June 21, 23, and 25. Disruption can also be expected on June 22 and 24 as despite there being no strike planned on those days, trains will not be in the correct positions due to the action taken on those dates.
The Manchester Evening News has previously reported how passengers have been advised not to travel, as an extremely limited rail service will operate over the first three days. Tickets for replacement bus services have to be bought separately.
Marta, from North Wales, said the situation was adding to their stress and worry. Her sons usually travel from Flint to Ysgol Eirias in Colwyn Bay by train, reports NorthWalesLive.
Marta said she hopes only to have to take her sons on the 60-mile round-trip from their home in Holywell to their school for the main three days of the strike - totalling 180 miles - but fears it could be longer. "We will leave at 7.30am to make sure they are there in time for their exams," she said.
"They normally take the train from Flint which takes 20 minutes. We are lucky because we have a car. I worry about families who don’t have a car. We live in Holywell so it's a 60-mile journey there and back to the school. We are also expecting extra traffic because of the strike. It's an added stress during exams.
"I am lucky enough to have a car but what happens to people who don't? I know the WJEC [the Welsh Joint Education Committee] has processes if a child misses an exam, but I am worried for children whose families don't have cars."
Driving will also be an added cost for Marta as her sons usually use season tickets and petrol prices have soared. "I haven't really worked it out but it will cost between £50 and £70," she said.
More than 40,000 staff from Network Rail and 13 train operators are expected to take part in the strike. Transport for Wales (TfW) is not one of the operators in dispute with the RMT but has warned services here will be seriously disrupted.
A TfW spokesman said: "The industrial action resulting from the dispute between RMT and Network Rail means we will be unable to operate our rail services on Network Rail infrastructure. The majority of rail services across the Wales and Borders network will be suspended with the exception of services on the Core Valley Lines (CVL) north of Radyr in south Wales.
"There is also expected to be disruption on the days prior and after the industrial action. We will release more information as soon as possible. Customers with existing tickets for travel from Monday, June 20, to Sunday, June 26, can use those tickets anytime between now and June 20. Alternatively customers may claim a full refund.
"In the meantime we are suspending sales of advance tickets for the first three strike dates to minimise the number of people disrupted. Customers should continue to check our website, and the websites of other operators, for updates."
The RMT has also announced a 24-hour strike on June 21 London Underground in a separate row over pensions and jobs.
