English face train pain but locals fly for 6p

RUSSIAN fans will travel to World Cup matches in special jets for five roubles – 6p – as Three Lions supporters face up to 150 hours on trains.

President Vladimir Putin has backed the plans by national carrier Aeroflot, which said:

FAN FLIGHTS Putin OK’d five rouble deal “Tickets will be sold three days before a particular match to prevent a possible rush.” The offer could involve 70,000 seats.

Organisers are also providing free trains but journeys are hugely long. England play Tunisia in Volgograd on June 18, a 23-hour each-way train trip from Moscow.

Getting to and from Kaliningrad for the Belgium match on June 28 takes more than 40 hours. There is no free train to Nizhny Novgorod for the Panama game on June 24 as it is just 260 miles from Moscow. Progress to the knockout stages will mean yet more travel time.

An extra 576 trains, with a total capacity of 330,000, will be used at the tournament. Fans with special ID must book well in advance.