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Union claims trains are 'disrupted' for rugby fans

Eleanor Maslin
BBC News
Hull Trains A Hull Trains train in dark blue named Land of Green Ginger with images of the city on a strip down the side speeding along a railway line with the grass in front of it and the overhead wires blurredHull Trains
Hull Trains said 80% of its services were running on Friday with "minor alterations"

A union has claimed there will be "severe disruption" for Hull rugby fans travelling via train to Wembley.

The Challenge Cup Final with Hull Kingston Rovers facing Warrington Wolves takes place in London on Saturday.

Train drivers' union Aslef which has been involved in a long-running dispute with Hull Trains, said industrial action would force the operator to cancel services.

Hull Trains said that "minor alterations" were in place on Friday due to the industrial action with 80% of its services running.

BBC/Matt Dean A crowd of rugby fans with player Jared Waerea-Hargreaves. A woman at the front of the crowd is holding a mobile phone up in the air on the left and smiling. She has oversized black-framed spectacles on her face and is wearing a red bomber jacket over a red and white t-shirt. Her brown hair is tied up in a ponytail. She is holding a red and white rugby ball with the right hand and is standing next to a rugby player, who is smiling at towards the mobile phone. He is wearing a blue long-sleeved top with a red vertical stripe along the right of his chest.BBC/Matt Dean
Prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was greeted by fans at Craven Park on Thursday

The union claimed a driver was unfairly dismissed for raising a safety concern, which the company denies.

Nigel Roebuck, Aslef's organiser in the north east of England, said: 'Aslef don't take strike action lightly, and we fully understand the anger of engers wishing to travel to the Challenge Cup final on Saturday at Wembley.

'But angry fans should understand that this is a dispute entirely engineered by the company, not by us."

A Hull Trains spokesperson said: "90% of our timetabled services on 7 June are planned to operate as normal, this includes our additional 08:57 direct service to London and the 20:27 direct service back to Hull.

"If fans are travelling to London today [Friday], 80% of our timetabled services are planned to operate as normal.

"Customers can find the latest travel information on our website and social media channels."

Hull Trains also wished Hull KR "the best of luck" in the final.

Excited fans

Up to 20,000 Hull KR fans are expected to make the journey to the capital for the final.

On Thursday, hundreds of fans gathered at Craven Park to give the players a send-off ahead of Saturday's final.

Laurie, who was in the crowd with his granddaughter said it felt "emotional" seeing the players embark on their trip to London.

Another fan, Kayleigh Parker-Lines, who was with her children, said the club was a "huge part of our lives".

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