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LONDON, Sept 9 Wed Sep 9, 2009 8:23pm IST

LONDON, Sept 9 (Reuters) - British rail operator Network Rail [NETRA.UL] plans to reduce the number of sub-contractors working on maintenance jobs by around 700, on top of the 1,800 staff it is cutting from its own maintenance workforce.

A Network Rail spokesman confirmed the plans on Wednesday after they were published by rail union RMT.

"RMT are warning that the planned jobs cull, which represent nearly 20 percent of the current workforce, would represent a massive danger to the travelling public," the union said in a statement.

Network Rail said last month it planned to cut 1,800 maintenance jobs by April contractor london 2011 to improve efficiency.

"None of our plans will reduce safety on the rail network. That's one of our priorities," a spokesman said. (Reporting by Mark Potter; Editing by Greg Mahlich)