Travel chaos hits the wrong note with concert fans
Residents have lashed out at ScotRail about the lack of transport available for major events.
The state-owned railway has faced staff shortages and cut services due to workers going on strike in an ongoing pay dispute.
As a result, services have been severely impacted, with a large quantity of trains being cancelled and a new temporary timetable introduced.
People travelling to major events – such as concerts, football games and theatre shows – have faced great difficulty in trying to get home after they finish.
Rutherglen’s Mollie Martens had a nightmare of a time trying to get home after a concert.
She told the Reformer: “I went to see The Script at the OVO Hydro not too long ago, and it was a complete mess. They didn’t even offer replacement buses for people.
“The last train I think was around 9pm, and the concert finished much later. Myself and my friend had to queue for hours to get a taxi back to Rutherglen.
“It was just total chaos when the concert finished, even after we managed to get a taxi after waiting for quite a while, the full area around it was gridlocked.
“I know there’s a staffing problem at the minute, but surely if there are concerts on they would try and arrange for something? I saw My Chemical Romance as well, and it was the exact same, no replacement services or
anything. It’s really put me off going to concerts, knowing that there is no way for me to get home.”
Glasgow’s OVO Hydro venue warned concert-goers to plan in advance, tweeting: “Rail Travel Disruption: May 23 onwards.
“Due to a driver shortage, ScotRail are operating a temporary timetable and services to/from the Exhibition Centre have been affected. Please plan and prepare in advance of your journey.”
Mollie isn’t alone in her struggle to plan a way home, with other Lanarkshire residents facing similar situations.
A Cambuslang local has spoken out about her frustration with the lack of transport.
Wishing to remain anonymous, she told us: “I’m due to go see Ed Sheeran at Hampden in a few weeks and I am
worried about I am going to get home.
“Thankfully my mum has offered to come and get me and my boyfriend, but we really were considering not going.
“I saw they put extra services on for one of the football games at Hampden before, I don’t know why they can’t do something like that.
“It’s a total nightmare.”
David Simpson, ScotRail service delivery director, said: “We’re sorry to our customers for the disruption they are facing as a result of the reduction in services, and we share their frustration.
“However, it’s only right that we provide greater certainty and reliability for those travelling.
“The timetable is being regularly reviewed and we have been able to make some changes to late night services for customers. We advise customers to check their journey before they travel.”