SWINDON commuters are being warned to make alternative travel arrangements ahead of next week’s proposed strikes by Network Rail staff.

The exact effect of the strike has not yet been fully assessed but First Great Western has said it is anticipating there will be a significant impact across the network.

Members of the Rail And Maritime Union are walking out for 24 hours from 5pm on Monday after failing to come to an agreement with Network Rail over pay, although talks are ongoing to avert the strike.

The workers taking action include signallers and maintenance meaning many trains across the country will not be running.

The TSSA trade union for workers in the transport and travel industries has also announced its intentions to join the action but this has been challenged in court by Network Rail.

A spokesman for First Great Western said: “We are currently talking to Network Rail to establish what the effect will be of the 24- hour strike but we are anticipating it will have an impact for 48 hours across Monday and Tuesday.

“We are still to confirm what will be running and, while we envisage some services may run, there will be a significant impact across our entire network.

“We hope to have an outline plan within the next 24 hours with something more detailed later in the week.”

Because the impact is expected to be felt across the entire country, there are currently no plans to put bus replacement services on.

“As it stands, we are not putting any replacement services on because the demand would be too high,” said the spokesman.

“During the Tuesday rush hour, the demand would simply be too high for us to run buses across the entire network,” the spokesman said.

Talks are continuing between the unions and Network Rail, presided over by ACAS, to try to avert the strikes but if they do not come to a decision by Saturday there will be some impact on services.

The FGR spokesman said: “At this stage there is still a possibility the talks will be successful and the strike will be called off.

“But for our planning, if this comes any later than Saturday it will still have an effect.

“Full refunds will be available for customers who have already bought tickets during the industrial action period, and season ticket holders will be compensated for any days affected.”

If it goes ahead the strike will follow a weekend of engineering works, which are causing problems for Swindon Town fans heading to Wembley for the team’s play-off final against Preston.

Union members have rejected a four-year deal worth GBP500 this year and three years of increases matching RPI inflation as well as a no-compulsory-redundancy commitment to December 2016.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “Our members have decisively rejected the pay package offered by Network Rail and the failure of the company to make any moves whatsoever in light of the overwhelming vote in the ballot has left us with no option but to move to a rolling programme of industrial action.

“We have a massive mandate for action which shows the anger of safety-critical staff across the rail network at attacks on their standards of living and their job security.

“It is appalling that NR are refusing point-blank to take this dispute seriously, to understand the deep-seated grievance felt by their staff and to come forward with a renewed offer which protects pay, jobs and safety.”