Rail passengers across Lanarkshire are seeing services return to their usual full timetable from today, after two months of reduced provision due to an industrial dispute.
Scotrail thanked customers for “their patience through a very challenging few months”, which saw the number and frequency of services reduced and meant local residents travelling to major events including concerts and football matches had to find alternative modes of transport.
The train operator says there is still the possibility of disruption for passengers travelling to and from the county’s 39 stations as the familiar timetable resumes, due to factors including extreme heat impacting on the network and Covid-related absences.
A reduced temporary timetable had been in place for nearly two months during a pay dispute, which was resolved last week following an improved pay offer being issued to drivers.
It means nearly 700 services per day are now being reintroduced, with passengers being advised to check their journeys before travel on the Scotrail website or app for latest information.
Officials from the train operator say they are working “flat out” on the reintroduction alongside a backdrop of increased Covid absences and add: “There is also the potential for knock-on disruption to some services as a result of the extreme heat on some routes, with potential damage to infrastructure and the possibility of trains being out of position.”
Scotrail service delivery director David Simpson said: “We know how much people right across the country rely on rail travel, so we’re pleased to increase the number of services.
“Reaching such a positive resolution is a big step forward and everyone at Scotrail can now focus our efforts on providing the safest, greenest, and most reliable railway we can.
“I’d like to thank our customers for their patience through what has been a very challenging few months [and] would [them] to check their journey before they travel as our timetable returns to May 2022 levels.”
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