Passengers in Lanarkshire have been given a boost with ScotRail confirming it will return to its pre-Christmas timetable as of next week.
The temporary timetable which caused disruption for commuters, introduced by the rail operator as it faced major staff shortages amid the rapid spread of Omicron, will end after the weekend.
ScotRail is set to return to its pre-C timetable on Monday February 14, which delivers around 2000 services a day.
The Omicron variant left the train operator with more than 450 staff absent at the peak of the wave.
The lack of staff had a knock-on impact on services, which had to be reduced.
While around 150 ScotRail staff remain absent due to COVID, including 50 drivers, the company insists it is now able to safely reintroduce the timetable that was in operation in early December.
However, ScotRail did warn that services would not return to pre-pandemic levels "in line with new travel patterns and overcapacity on some routes".
Services are set to drop from pre-COVID levels of 2400 services a day to 2100 a day.
David Simpson, ScotRail service delivery director, said: "The introduction of some temporary changes to our timetable was important for our customers, providing a level of certainty during a challenging time.
"Those changes have allowed us to keep people moving across the country, and our staff worked flat out to run a safe and reliable railway in really difficult and continually changing circumstances.
"We still face significant challenges, with 150 staff absent, but with things improving, and restrictions across Scotland being relaxed, we are now able to safely reintroduce our full timetable of around 2,000 services a day.
"The pandemic is not over yet and we will still face some disruption due to staff absence, but we are confident of providing a reliable service for our customers."
ScotRail urged everyone travelling on the trains to stay safe by continuing to follow Scottish Government guidelines.
Wearing a face covering is mandatory for the entirety of people's journey, which includes on trains and in stations, on both enclosed and open-air platforms, and passengers are encouraged to follow good hand hygiene.
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