RAIL workers who are set to go on strike tomorrow should be putting passengers first says South Swindon MP Robert Buckland.

Mr Buckland said he did not support the actions of members of the RMT union working for First Great Western who will walk out for 24 hours from midnight on Saturday amid a dispute over the introduction of new Hitachi InterCity trains.

The union has been in talks with FGW this week amid fears that the role of the guard will be reduced and buffet cars will no longer feature on the region’s trains. But both sides failed to reach an agreement on Thursday, leading the RMT to announce that the planned strike action would still go ahead.

But Mr Buckland said strike action was not the way to resolve the issue.

He said: “Passengers have to be put first. Disruption like this is not good for anyone working on the railway and I urge the parties to reach a solution as soon as possible. Strike action is never the answer.

“The new InterCity trains are going to be part of the new improved Great Western service which will benefit us all. I want to see a quick solution to this issue, but I do not support strike action.”

Talks are to resume again on Monday, although there is further industrial action planned for the duration of the bank holiday weekend if no resolution is found.

First Great Western managing director Mark Hopwood said passengers the train operator would do all it could to keep passengers moving.

He said: “These trains are at the centre of our plans to deliver our network’s biggest fleet upgrade in a generation, helping create three million more seats a year and allowing us to bring you faster, more frequent journeys.

"We are very keen to come to an agreement with the RMT that makes sure we can operate these trains in the best possible way for customers, while giving colleagues clear assurances about their futures.

“We expect to be able to run approximately 70 per cent of our normal timetable, including almost all of our local services in the London and Thames Valley area and we’ll have hundreds of extra managers and staff at our stations to lend a helping hand.

“Of course, we recognise that some people will choose not to make journeys as planned, so we will refund unused tickets in full. We’ve also lifted ticket restrictions to allow customers to travel outside the planned strike action.”

For more details visit www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/strike