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Daily Record
Daily Record
Lifestyle
Neil Pooran & Lucy Farrell

ScotRail's train times and cancellations explained as reduced timetable kicks

ScotRail have temporarily axed more than 700 services across Scotland with a reduced timetable from today.

The change, which was confirmed on Wednesday, has impacted hundreds of routes across Scotland with some routes offering last trains as early as 8pm.

The reduced timetable is due to a dispute involving Aslef and RMT union members, who are refusing to work overtime hours - causing a third of rail services to be suspended.

Because of this, RMT have said they will put a ballot to its members for potential strike action, which if won - could commence from as early as next month.

Transport union RMT has called the move "a kick in the teeth".

At the weekend, Employment Minister Richard Lochhead told the BBC's Sunday Show he hoped the dispute could be "sorted soon".

He said: "My message to all workers in Scotland and all these sectors is we have to be sensible, everything has to be affordable because the country's in a very, very precarious position at the moment, and if we take wrong decisions we could end up with a recession in the near future, which will cause a lot of damage to people's lives and local business in Scotland and our economy.

"It's not for me as a minister to say what's the right or wrong wage for a train driver or anyone else.

"But just to say that it's really important that people are compromising, being constructive, and recognise the consequences of these disputes dragging on for too long."

What routes have been hit hardest?

According to ScotRail, the Central belt has seen the biggest disruption, with a total of 15 new temporary timetables.

Of these, four of these routes are from Glasgow to Edinburgh, two are through Central Scotland, and nine are various Glasgow suburban routes.

In joint second place for the most changes is the Highlands and the East coast and Fife, who both have five new timetables each.

Lothian and the Boarders have three temporary timetables and the two areas Kilmarnock, Dumfries and Carlisle, and Airshyre, Inverclyde and Stranraer have two routes each.

According to their website, ScotRail will be publishing more timetables in the coming days.

Many of the above routes will see earlier termination times, with some offering last trains as early as 8pm.

To see each new route timetable, click here.

Why has ScotRail reduced services?

Back in April, ScotRail was transferred into public ownership.

Drivers have been offered a 2.2% pay rise and the chance to take part in a revenue share agreement which would take the total package to 5%.

A typical ScotRail driver salary is more than £50,000, according to employer site Glassdoor.

The offer has been rejected by the unions Aslef and RMT, which described it as "derisory".

In response, drivers are now refusing to work overtime hours, leaving ScotRail unable to fulfil all its usual daily rail services.

According to RMT, transport workers have already been subject to repeated pay freezes and real terms cuts in living standards.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "ScotRail needs to put its hands deeper into its pockets and start rewarding their staff properly..

"We are in the midst of a brutal cost of living crisis for workers, but it is still party time for shareholders, speculators and big business executives.

"All we are asking for is a pay award that reflects the value of railway workers and the service they provide to the public day in, day out."

What is being done to fix this?

Scotrail services could worsen if drivers agree to strike (Daily Record)

The Scottish Government has said they are working to recruit more train drivers, adding that reliance on rest-day working must stop.

At the time of writing, no talks have been scheduled to take place between Scotrail and either Aslef or RMT.

Tory MSP Graham Simpson said: "Hard-pressed passengers deserve better than having to pay the price for the SNP's chaotic incompetence with no end in sight.

"It's scandalous that the Scottish Government's failings could cost our economy up to £80 million a week starting on Black Monday.

"Just seven weeks into Nat Rail and Scotland already faces a summer of discontent and service cuts.

"The SNP must sort this mess and address the travel misery facing commuters by thrashing out a resolution with the unions."

Aslef Scottish organiser Kevin Lindsay said members were looking for a "sensible settlement" and called for more talks to resolve the issue.

He told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: "I'm desperate to get round the negotiating table but I can't negotiate with myself.

"I need somebody from ScotRail or Transport Scotland to come along with the authority to make a deal so we can move forward because this is damaging Scotland's economy, it's damaging our cultural events, we really need some action on this to move this forward."

He said: "I appreciate other sectors and other workers may not be on the same salaries or may not be making the same demands, but this isn't a race to the bottom, my job is to protect the terms and conditions of train drivers, and train drivers are telling me quite clearly they are looking for a sensible settlement that we can actually move forward on to deliver for the passengers of Scotland."

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