Cheltenham Racecourse will provide coaches for racegoers after the RMT announced strike action during this year’s festival.
Cheltenham has partnered with National Express to ensure people can attend the race weekend.
Earlier on Thursday, the RMT announced industrial action on March 16, which is St Patrick’s Day at the festival and March 18, the day after the festival finishes.
National Rail will be offering increased coach services directly to Cheltenham Racecourse from March 15-17, with services departing from London, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff.
Ian Renton, managing director at the Jockey Club Racecourses (West), said: “Every year, a large number of racegoers rely on rail services to make their way to the festival. We therefore thought it was essential to be as proactive as possible in arranging alternative transport options.
“We have a longstanding and excellent working relationship with National Express and the extra coach services they are providing should help ensure that racegoers’ plans are not significantly impacted by the RMT action.”
Ed Rickard, service delivery director at National Express, said: “In addition to our national scheduled coach network, we also provide dedicated services to festivals and events.
“Having served the Cheltenham Festival for over 10 years now we are well-positioned to help thousands of racegoers get to The Festival with minimum hassle.
“We are expecting over 20,000 passengers to travel on our coaches throughout festival week, so we recommend that customers plan ahead and book their tickets early to guarantee a seat.”
