Industrial action is planned by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) the day prior to the Opening Ceremony on July 27 in a dispute over job security, pay and working conditions, before ASLEF members are due to strike on July 30 because "train companies failed to make a pay offer to keep pace with the increase in the cost of living".

The ASLEF strike impacts eight train companies, including West Midlands Trains which serves several competition venues at the Games.

Street represents the Conservative Party, which has held power in the United Kingdom since 2010.

While he believes the impact on the Games of the RMT's strike on Wednesday (July 27) will be "relatively small", he criticised the timing of ASELF's industrial action, claiming that it should be held outside of the Commonwealth Games period from July 28 until August 8.

"Everyone has a right to their case, and of course ultimately to strike action, I'm not questioning that," Street told insidethegames.

"But, I do think you should say is the Games beyond this particular dispute?

"The RMT interestingly have decided that it is, so I'm a little surprised that ASLEF have decided particularly to take advantage of the Games.

"This is five years in the planning, 1.2 million people here for it, it's an international celebration.

"I think the whole country should be coming together to make the most of it."

The region's Mayor, who also chairs the West Midlands Combined Authority, called on ASLEF to reconsider their plans for July 30.

"I am always hopeful [of a resolution], and the message for the union in particular would be think again, and in particular think about protecting the Games," Street commented.

"Even if agreement cannot be reached before, can we think again particularly about West Midlands train action on that particular day.

"It's the marathon, nearly all of our venues are in action, it's particular manipulation of the day."

ASLEF general secretary Mick Whelan has insisted that ASLEF had been left with no alternative but to strike, describing it as "the only option available" while declaring the union "always open to talks if the train companies, or the Government, want to talk to us and make a fair and sensible offer".

"We don’t want to go on strike - strikes are the result of a failure of negotiation - and this union, since I was elected GS [general secretary] in 2011, has only ever been on strike, until this year, for a handful of days," Whelan said.

"We don’t want to inconvenience passengers - not least because our friends and families use public transport, too, and we believe in building trust in the railways in Britain - and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike.

"But we’ve been forced into this position by the train companies, driven by the Tory Government.

"The drivers at the companies where we are striking have had a real terms pay cut over the last three years - since April 2019."

Inflation in the UK has reached its highest rate for more than 40 years, rising to 9.4 per cent in the 12 months to June, and the country is facing a deepening cost of living crisis.

Whelan has argued that "wage rises aren't exacerbating inflation", and rather "excess profiteering is".

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is due to run from July 28 until August 8.

Transport for West Midlands executive director Anne Shaw told insidethegames that body had "reviewed the rail strikes".

She acknowledged that "some additional resilience" would be required for July 30, but said plans were in place to provide alternative arrangements.

"We have been planning because obviously we had good notification and we've been managing the risk of potential industrial action on our rail network, and we've got an extra resilient fleet of buses and also longer distance coaches as well, so people who are coming from a bit further away can catch a coach to Birmingham and to the West Midlands, and some additional park and ride locations will open during that rail strike day," Shaw said.

Public transport features heavily in organisers' plans for the Games, with spectators' tickets including access within the West Midlands area for the relevant day of competition.