Staff are due to begin a 24-hour strike at 2am BST on Wednesday July 27, with members of train operating companies (TOCs) due to strike from 12.01am BST until 11.59pm BST on the same date.

British politicians had already been critical of the prospect of strikes coinciding with the event, with Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries describing as "shameful" the possibility that the Games could be disrupted by strike action.

"The train operating companies remain stubborn and are refusing to make any new offer which deals with job security and pay," said RMT general secretary Mick Lynch.

"Strike action is the only course open to us to make both the rail industry and Government understand that this dispute will continue for as long as it takes, until we get a negotiated settlement.

"The public who will be inconvenienced by our strike action need to understand that it is the Government's shackling of Network Rail and the TOCs that means the rail network will be shut down for 24 hours.

"We remain open for further talks."

The Opening Ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is due to begin at 7pm BST on Thursday July 28, with sporting action due to begin the following day.

In a statement provided to insidethegames West Midlands Trains customer experience director Jonny Wiseman said: "It’s incredibly disappointing that RMT has chosen to take this course of damaging industrial action and disrupt journeys for our regular customers, as well as many thousands of visitors coming to the West Midlands on the eve of the Commonwealth Games.

"If this action does go ahead we expect significant disruption to rail services, with customers advised to make alternative travel arrangements. 

"We are working closely with Transport for the West Midlands on contingency arrangements to do what we can to keep our customers moving."