THE CUTS NOW ARRIVING ARE AN OUTRAGE
Unions furious as report shows ScotRail bosses plan NOT to return to pre-pandemic services
SCOTRAIL has been accused of planning cuts to vital services by axing the pre-pandemic timetable.
A leaked document shows the train giant wants 300 fewer services than before Covid struck.
Unions hit out at the move, with Aslef, RMT, TSSA and Unite issuing a joint statement.
They said: “It is incredible in the year that the world comes to Scotland to debate the very future of our planet that ScotRail is proposing cuts to the rail services in a transparent attempt to use the pandemic as cover for cuts.
“These plans would not only cull jobs, they would hit hardest on the most vulnerable people within society including elderly and disabled people.
“All the while diverting many passengers back on to the roads and increasing pollution, congestion and greenhouse gases.”
ScotRail, run by Dutch firm Abellio, has faced accusations of rip-off train fares and poor service since taking on the franchise.
Public anger is likely to rise when the operator unveils a consultation today on a new “value for money” timetable for May 2022.
ScotRail currently operates about 2000 services per weekday, down from 2400 before coronavirus.
According to the “confidential” document, the ScotRail proposal is not to go back to the pre-Covid level.
It reads: “We are proposing a new timetable operating around 2100 services per weekday as the foundation to encourage a return to public transport following the pandemic.”
Analysis in the document, called “Fit for the Future”, claimed that before coronavirus there were “significantly” more seats provided on trains than were required.
The proposal adds: “Under five and a half million passenger journey miles were completed on a typical weekday, which was just 23 per cent of the available number of seats.
“In other words, seats were empty for 77 per cent of the distance that was travelled.”
It also said returning to the pre-pandemic timetable would increase emissions and result in a bill of up to £40million for the taxpayer.
ScotRail announced there had been a shortfall between revenue and operating costs of £243.5million in 2019-20.
But the four unions blasted the plan in the run up to Glasgow hosting COP26, saying: “It is exactly this type of short-term thinking that has contributed to the climate crisis.
“We need a railway where trains are regular, reliable and affordable with services properly staffed.”
Labour MSP Monica Lennon said: “Reducing the number of daily train services compared to before the pandemic is bad for the public and our planet.
“It’s astonishing that ScotRail is spinning proposals for a reduced timetable as ‘fit for the future’ on the eve of world leaders arriving in Glasgow for the COP26 climate crisis summit.
“SNP ministers need to get a grip of these disastrous proposals.”
Alex Hynes, Scotland’s Railway managing director, said his organisation was “committed to delivering a service that is safe, reliable, green, and clean”.
He added: “Our job is to keep people moving and connected to business, leisure, and education while meeting the expectations of our customers.
“The pandemic has changed how people travel across all of Scotland so our services will reflect these varied travel patterns and deliver timetables that are reliable, have enough capacity to meet pre-Covid levels of demand, and are sustainable.
“We are consulting on the timetable changes being proposed and we would welcome the views of our customers.”
David Simpson, ScotRail operations director, defended the plans, saying the “significant cost of running the railway following the impact of the coronavirus pandemic” meant that changes had to be made to benefit the customer and the taxpayer.
He went on: “That might mean offering a different service on different days of the week or different times of year as passenger demand varies across the week or through the year. But by doing so, we can ensure Scotland’s Railway remains sustainable into the future.
“During the pandemic, we’ve provided outstanding, and sustained, high levels of punctuality and reliability for those travelling. Our proposals build on that as we know that a safe and reliable service is a top priority for customers.”