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Virgin Trains ticket office staff working on one of the UK's busiest rail lines have gone on strike. About 200 members of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) are taking part in the 24-hour strike in protest at planned cutbacks. The walkout will affect 12 stations on the West Coast Main Line, which links England and Scotland.

A Virgin Trains spokesman said no-one would miss their train as a result of the strike.

The West Coast Mail Line is a key route linking London with cities like Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. It is expected to be particularly busy on Monday with people returning to work after the Christmas break.

The union delayed the strike to avoid disrupting passengers during the holiday.

'Vital service'

The strike started at midnight, and Euston, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Crewe, Preston and Glasgow are among the stations expected to be the hardest hit. TSSA leader Gerry Doherty said his members were striking to defend their jobs and the booking windows service offered to passengers. He accused Virgin Trains of closing windows to force passengers to use station ticket machines. "This is all about defending a vital service to rail passengers who are already being ripped off with the most expensive fares in Europe," he said. "After raising anytime fares by 6% 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 spokesman for Virgin Trains said staff would be "on hand" to help people with the ticketing machines. "There will be no passengers who miss their trains as a result of the strike," he said. "If queues start to build we will give customers permission to get on trains and buy tickets on board."

Warrington, Stockport, Stafford, Birmingham New Street, Wigan and Lancaster stations will also be affected.