MPs voted for paying themselves a rise of £2,000.

If an average of £2,000 rise were paid to 40,000 rail workers , this would be approximately seven per cent and cost £ 80 million.

I suggest losses to economy including tourism this week will be at least this amount.

Another issue is that staff in ticket offices and guards on trains are seen as “old-fashioned”.

They will no longer be employed; they are “inefficient” compared with machines selling tickets.

As passengers, many of us like personal advice and service at a ticket office.

At my local station there is no ticket office; the programme on the ticket machine is difficult to operate.

So many passengers prefer to pay the conductor. The strikers seek to maintain these valuable services and jobs.

Bob Holland

Cononley