Cross-Border rail link hit as Virgin's west coast line ticket staff strike

HUNDREDS of ticket office staff will walk out on strike today on one of the UK's busiest rail lines.

Some 204 Virgin booking office staff will take part in the 24-hour strike affecting a number of stations on the west coast main line linking England with Scotland.

The line is expected to be particularly busy today as people return to work after the long Christmas holiday. The strike has been called by the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) union in protest at planned cuts to booking office window openings.

A dozen mainline stations along the route, used by 25 million passengers per year between Euston and Glasgow, will be hit by the walk-out. Euston, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Crewe, Preston and Glasgow are among the stations expected to be the hardest hit in the strike. TSSA leader Gerry Doherty accused Virgin Trains of closing windows to force passengers to use ticket machines.

He said: "This is all about defending a vital service to rail passengers already being ripped off with the most expensive fares in Europe. After raising anytime fares by 6 per cent at the weekend, Sir Richard (Branson] is now charging 262 return for a second-class fare between Euston and Manchester.

"Now he wants to stop customers buying cheaper off-peak tickets by cutting back on off-peak travel times and closing more booking office windows."

A Virgin spokesman said: "There will be no passengers who miss trains as a result of the strike. We will have staff advising people how to use ticketing machines."