Subway and overland commuter train operators and its employees have gone on strike in Sao Paolo, Brazil a week before the commencement of the World Cup.

The city that will host the opening match is scampering to arrange logistics for fans that will have to find other means to commute to the stadium the Associate Press reports. The mass transit subway system is Sao Paulo's main public transportation means to the Itaquerao stadium where the Cup's first game will be held on June 12.

A local judge ordered the train operators to provide full capacity during rush hours and at a minimum of 70 percent availability during off hours late Wednesday. Despite this and the judge's order of a $44,000 penalty for non-compliance to the order, union officers and members went ahead and proceeded with the strike. The union released a statement in its website that it will continue to go on strike until its demand for a wage increase of at least 10 percent is met by the government. The government has an existing offer of 8.7 wage increase which the union has not taken. Employees who did not join the union's strike were able to operate three of the city's five subways lines at below capacity, which still led to massive problems for the public.

With Sao Paolo being infamous for congested roadways and crowded public transport, the government implemented measures to mitigate the impact of the strike. Sao Paulo's government suspended a rule that disallowed passenger cars from entering the central part of the city.

The transport strike stranded many commuters at an average of almost 4 million people who rely on the subways and overland trains on an average weekday. This number of commuters is expected to rise by the weekend when tourists and official personnel will arrive in preparation for the World Cup on June 12th.