London: Indian call centres came in for high praise from the National Rail Enquiries (NRES) in London, as it planned to switch half of the 50 million calls it receives each year to Bangalore and Mumbai and save as much as 25 million Pounds in five years.

"There is a higher level of politeness in India and a greater desire to help. It is a more pleasant experience on the whole," said Chris Scoggins, chief executive of NRES, while confirming the shifting of the calls.

He said almost all call centre staff in India were graduates, whereas very few in Britain had degrees.

"Call centre jobs in India are highly sought after. In the UK it is seen as a less desirable position. It's not a job many people aspire to," he added.

Union leaders, however, said Scoggins' remarks would offend thousands of hard-working British call centre operators.

David Fleming, National Secretary of Amicus, a body representing trade unions, said, "This is an insult to British NRES staff who have a reputation for being very committed to the job and stay for the long haul. There is a high turnover at Indian call centres as graduates move on to other jobs."

Amicus claimed that Indian staff was less able to handle complicated queries, which required them to deviate from a standard script. But Scoggins said that a pilot project in India had found similar standards of accuracy.

"They are given specialised training over several weeks and taught rail geography," Scoggins said.

He said the 26 train companies, which own NRES would save 25 million Pounds over five years by switching to India under contracts with BT and Venture.

The main job losses will be at call centres in Cardiff and Plymouth. Centres at Newcastle upon Tyne and Derby will survive, though Scoggins said it was possible that more of the work could be switched to India over the next five years.

The Communication Workers Union said it had written to Alistair Darling, the Transport Secretary, asking him to save British jobs.

A union official said, "We are concerned that this type of work is very complex and it requires a lot of understanding of the geography of the UK and the intricacies of the rail industry.

"A lot of experience has been built up by call handlers in this country and I don't see how that can be transferred to countries like India."