TRAIN company First Great Western will start reviewing in the next few days the controversial train cuts that have caused rush-hour misery for Oxfordshire's commuters.

Specialist timetable planners will work extra hours over the Christmas holiday to examine possible changes to alleviate over-crowding, the company told The Oxford Times yesterday.

Members of the newly formed passengers' group Ox Rail Action will today meet First Great Western's managing director Alison Forster and challenge her to go on one of the over-crowded trains with them.

First Great Western has withdrawn the 6.45am and 7.25am trains from Oxford to Paddington from its new timetable.

Passengers from Didcot have also lost one fast service during the morning rush hour and two return services from London during the evening peak.

FGW has admitted it was aware of overcrowding problems created by the timetable changes and said it was carrying out a review to see if it could tackle the problem in the New Year. At today's meeting Mrs Forster will also be asked to attend a meeting of the action group after riding the 7.05am out of Oxford early next month.

Action group spokesman Susan Westlake said: "Our top priority is to get First Great Western - and the Department for Transport - to take steps to end the severe and dangerous overcrowding on the fast trains into London. Until they come and see the stress on the trains they will not understand."

FGW spokesman Adrian Ruck said: "We will obviously consider their request and take it seriously.

"Alison Forster is out and about on the network all the time and large numbers of our staff and managers travel on that route so we are well aware of the issues.

"We are bringing in a team of people over Christmas, on days they would not usually work, to look specifically at the Oxford issue."

The battle to reinstate key commuter trains also reached Parliament this week.

Wantage MP Ed Vaizey tabled an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons, asking fellow MPs to back his call for urgent changes to FGW's new timetable.

He said: "The changes have led to hell on earth for commuters and the company has a lot of explaining to do."

Transport Minister Tom Harris told the House of Commons on Tuesday that the train operator was working on ways to deal with the problems caused by the change.

He was responding to a question from Oxford West and Abingdon MP Dr Evan Harris, who said constituents had told him the reduction in fast services to the capital had caused "huge frustration, overcrowding and late arrivals".

After the debate, Dr Harris said: "The current situation is unacceptable. First Great Western must provide a better service and passengers must be able to get seats."

Richard Rowland, FGW's regional manager for the Thames Valley area, confirmed the firm was studying options for putting "extra resources" into the service from Oxford during the rush hour.

But he warned: "All our rolling stock is in use. If you put an extra train or set of coaches in one area it has to come from another area. We have to ensure the balance is correct."