RAIL passengers travelling on the Alton to Waterloo line via Farnham are to be hit by a duo of strike action and engineering works from Tuesday to Saturday this week.

Commuters, travelling on the line between Alton and Farnham, will be forced to swap the train for the bus from October 23 to up to and including October 27 as work is undertaken by Network Rail to strengthen the embankment and the track.

In addition, a reduced service will run on most of the South Western Railway (SWR) network over the same period, with RMT members poised to stage a five-day walkout in an escalation of the union’s dispute over the role of guards.

According to a Network Rail spokesman, the problems on the Alton line have been caused by dry weather conditions during the summer: “Due to the exceptionally dry summer, resulting in the lowest soil moisture levels on record, the clay embankment has dried out and shrunk, reducing stability of the track.”

For the safety of passengers, on August 29 the decision was taken to introduce

a 30mph speed restriction at Bentley and a 50mph speed restriction on the single line between Farnham and Alton.

While this has caused frustration amongst passengers who are currently experiencing extended journey times of up to 1hour 30 minutes compared with the advertised off-peak scheduled times of 1 hour 14 minutes (1 hour 17 minutes where there is a station stop at Bentley), the work is said to be essential if trains are to be allowed to travel through the section at the normal speed.

According to South Western Railway alternative arrangements have been made for passengers travelling between Alton and Farnham: "During the works, a rail replacement bus service will be provided between Alton and Farnham. At Bentley, pick-up points have been arranged outside The Star Inn for the service to Farnham, and opposite Bentley Memorial Hall for the service to Alton. We are sorry for any inconvenience this will cause."

In its statement, Network Rail says that having completed the work it would expect the speed restriction on this section of the track to be removed on November 26.

The works coincide with the latest RMT industrial action, with guards and train drivers on SWR instructed to not to book on for any shifts that commence between 00.01am on Tuesday, October 23 and 11.59pm on Saturday, October 27.

This will result in a reduced service between Farnham and London Waterloo, with just one service leaving Farnham each hour instead of two.

Further 24 hour strikes are planned on Saturdays November 3, 10, 17 and 24.

Announcing the strike action earlier this month, RMT General Secretary, Mick Cash said: “South Western Railway has stalled the talks process and has failed to provide any sort of offer that comes close to resolving this dispute which matches the widespread best practice in the industry, underpinned by the guard guarantee.

“With shocking new figures from the British Transport Police showing a surge in violence on our railways it is frankly appalling that South Western Railway are looking for a green light to throw the guard off their trains as and when they see fit in the name of profit. SWR might think it’s acceptable to play fast and loose with passenger safety, security and access but RMT members, who have stood firm throughout this dispute despite appalling harassment from the company, will not accept a dilution of the safety regime on the railway.

“There’s a simple solution to ?this dispute and it means SWR stop playing with words and negotiate the guard guarantee that reflects the safety values of the agreements RMT has negotiated in other parts of the rail industry.

“That is the package we have successfully negotiated in both Wales and Scotland and on a number of English franchises. It defies belief that we are being denied the same positive outcome on the South Western Railway routes. The company should get out of the bunker and start talking with us seriously rather than sitting back and just hoping the core issues of safety, security and access will go away. They won’t.”

Responding, SWR urged the union to call off the strikes and has hit out at the union for “cynically targeting hard-working commuters, families and sports fans”.

A SWR spokesman said: “The RMT is cynically targeting hard-working commuters, families trying to enjoy the half-term holidays and sports fans with its latest strike dates.

“We have guaranteed a guard to be rostered on every single service, and our growth plans mean more guards, not fewer. It is time for the union to stop spreading myths and causing misery to our customers and colleagues, and commit to resolving this dispute.

“If the union decides to continue with its unnecessary action, we will do everything we can to keep our customers moving and reduce disruption.”