Staff at two train companies in northwest England go on strike today - potentially bringing disruption for thousands of fans heading to the Grand National.
The industrial action by RMT union members at Merseyrail and Arriva Trains North is going to coincide with the biggest horse race of the year - but both operators insist they are prepared, and will be able to run services.
Merseyrail said drivers in the Aslef union are unlikely to cross RMT picket lines, so managers will provide a train service between Liverpool city centre and Aintree before and after the race.
A train will run every seven-and-a-half minutes at key times - but fewer or no trains will run on the rest of the network, with rail replacement buses being offered on some lines.
Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde, managing director at Merseyrail, said: "Despite the RMT's best efforts to scupper this iconic event and create misery for the tens of thousands of people who look forward to it all year, we've developed a timetable aimed at getting as many people between central Liverpool and Aintree as we normally do on Grand National day."
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For Arriva Trains North, services will be "significantly reduced", with its last trains leaving Liverpool Lime Street between 7.02pm and 8.16pm.
The company said there are six extra trains on Saturday evening for racegoers.
Richard Allan, deputy managing director, said passengers should plan ahead: "We are also asking customers travelling direct to Manchester to consider using other train operators' express services.
"This will help to free up space on Northern services that stop at many local stations not served by other operators."
The RMT union will use an advertising billboard in Liverpool and at Aintree to explain the reasons for the strike, which include driver-only trains being scheduled to come into service from 2020.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "It is well established that once the guarantee of a guard is withdrawn then disabled passengers are disadvantaged because they can no longer be assured of being able to turn up and get on or off the train at unstaffed stations."
The 24-hour walkout is also being joined by union members at Southern, as their dispute heads for its second year.
Southern says it is hoping to provide a near-normal Saturday service on all but one route - with none of its services operating between Clapham Junction and Milton Keynes Central via Kensington Olympia and Watford Junction.
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