IT would be a great shame if the planned train strike by First North Western drivers badly affected the Commonwealth Games.

At the moment, there will be walk-outs on ten dates, three of which are on days when the Games events will be held in and around Manchester.

A large majority of members of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) has voted for industrial action in support of a national demand for parity with rival drivers at Arriva.

ASLEF said it did not realise its proposed strike would coincide with the Games.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of this particular action, the reality will be a transport nightmare across the area -- including in Bolton.

It will hit thousands -- competitors, officials and spectators alike -- and it could cause real damage to the whole event. While the eyes of the world will be on the region, this is exactly the image that organisers, the city of Manchester and all the towns involved did not want.

Games events in Bolton could be particularly hard hit because there is no direct bus service through Bolton to Middlebrook where the Bolton Arena is situated.

This would mean everyone trying to get to the badminton competition there or the cycling at Rivington would be restricted to road travel, which could cause chaos.

This week's action by local authority workers exempted those involved in the Commonwealth Games, and it would be a practical gesture if ASLEF did the same.

Local authorities and many commercial interests around Greater Manchester are relying on the Games to raise profile and to boost coffers. Public sympathy with any cause will evaporate if both are damaged as people struggle to travel.