SOUTH Western Railway is hoping to provide more than 70% of its normal weekday services during the latest round of 24-hour strikes next week.

Strikes by the RMT union will affect services on Monday, Wednesday and Friday next week and SWR has announced its contingency timetable.

SWR is looking to run more than 70% of the normal Monday – Friday timetable, as well as lengthening trains in some areas, running rail replacement bus services on some routes and organising ticket acceptance arrangements with other train companies.

The strikes are part of an ongoing row over the role of guards on trains.

Andy Mellors, managing director for South Western Railway, said: “We are sorry that our passengers will once again suffer due to this unnecessary strike action called by the RMT executive.

"Our passengers just want to get to work in the morning and back home on time in the evening to see family and friends.

“We have repeatedly guaranteed that no one will lose their job and that we will roster a second person on board every train, however what we have been trying to talk to the RMT about is what happens if a guard is unavailable at short notice, perhaps due to illness or disruption; and how we might keep passengers moving rather than leave them stranded.

”We are determined to provide the best possible service to our customers during next week’s strikes and will run more than 70% of our normal weekday service.

"We will operate more and longer trains than on the previous weekday strikes called by the RMT. However, we are advising passengers to check their journey before they travel as they will find trains busier than normal and that, in some places, replacement bus services will run instead of trains.”

The RMT and several train companies including SWR are locked in a row over the role of guards with the RMT and SWR meeting last week though the talks concluded without a breakthrough.

The latest round of walkouts follows strike action by some staff on SWR services on New Year's Eve.

Full details of affected services next week can be found at southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/rmt-strike.