As the train driver shortages continue, Scotrail has failed to add more services to their weekend timetable.
The now publicly owned railway operator announced on social media that their later Sunday services have been cancelled.
Train bosses are currently battling the staff shortages that came in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The shortages have caused Scotrail to clash with trade unions, who say the drivers are being overworked.
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As a result of this conflict, a third of the Scotrail journeys- 700 a day- have been cut from the timetables across the country. Leaving some stations without running services after 7pm.
Scotrail promise that an extended weekend timetable will ensure people can get home safely but has now had to scrap the planned Sunday services.
Posting on Twitter, they said:
"Unfortunately, it hasn’t been possible to implement a temporary timetable for tomorrow [Sunday].
"That means the normal Sunday timetable will be in operation and there will be cancellations as a result.
"The complexities of pulling together such widespread changes to timetables means it's not possible to do it in such a short space of time.
"We apologise to customers and advise them to check their journeys on our website and app before travelling."
This comes alongside a series of other setbacks after the operator entered public ownership at the beginning of April this year.
They have been asking their drivers to cover more shifts in order to make up for the current staff shortages of 130 drivers that they say would have been trained and currently driving trains were it not for the pandemic.
Train trade union Aslef says Scotrail is asking too much of the remaining drivers and is, along with the RMT, balloting for potential industrial action.
Aslef has called the proposed 2.2% pay rise for drivers “neither fair nor reasonable” and is working to secure an inflation-matched 10% pay rise.
Soctrail has hit back with a 4.2% offer and this will be put to union members next week.
While the dispute is ongoing, drivers will refuse to cover overtime or work on rest days, putting huge strain on the network and has resulted in the cut services.
There are concerns that the disrupted timetable will affect events such as Scotland's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine on Wednesday.
Under the current temporary timetable, trains from nearby Mount Florida station cease at 8.46pm - nearly an hour before the full-time whistle blows.
Scotrail has already agreed to overhaul its refund policy to accommodate its new regime, dropping admin fees for journeys that it has cancelled.
But even if an agreement is reached it may take up to 10 days for a full timetable to be reintroduced.
Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth told MSPs on Thursday the Scottish Government wanted to find a solution in a "timely fashion".
The SNP minister added: "I am absolutely committed to working with our trade unions...to ensure that public ownership is a success for our railways and that we re-establish the previous timetable to allow passengers to travel more freely.
"I want nothing more than for us to restore the previous timetable that was in place. Passengers need certainty."
Scotrail said previously: "We're aware how much recent disruption has been affecting our customers and believe introducing a temporary timetable will provide greater certainty and reliability for those travelling.
"We want to resolve this dispute with the trade unions and move forward together to provide the safest, greenest, and most reliable railway we can for Scotland."
