Anger as ScotRail services cut

Nicola Sturgeon admitted severe cutbacks to ScotRail services were “not acceptable” as she was heavily criticised for a slimmed-down timetable which could last for months.

Rail bosses confirmed up to 700 journeys across the country will be unavailable as they introduced an emergency timetable due to a pay dispute with drivers.

It is a major blow for the SNP government less than two months after Ms Sturgeon celebrated taking ScotRail into public ownership.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said that nationalisation of train services had turned into a “disaster”. Scottish Labour chief Anas Sarwar said the Scottish Government could not shift the blame on to anyone else.

The emergency timetable comes into force on Monday.

Ms Sturgeon said she hoped the situation could be resolved quickly, but admitted a review will not be held until June 3.

It is feared the reduced timetable could be kept in place for weeks or months if a resolution is not achieved.

Mr Ross urged the first minister to apologise to passengers. He compared the disruption to the nationalisation of underfire shipbuilding firm Ferguson Marine in 2019.

He warned high street stores could potentially take an economic hit if shoppers are unable to reach town and city centres.

And he said commuters had already endured weeks of inconvenience due to train services regularly being cancelled.

Mr Ross added: “The SNP took over running of our rail service on April Fool’s Day, but it is no joke for Scotland’s passengers.”

Meanwhile, Mr Sarwar accused the government of presiding over the worst cuts to rail services in 50 years.

During his clash with the first minister, he claimed the public had been forced to “pay the price of SNP failure”.

On Wednesday, SNP transport minister Jenny Gilruth said the emergency timetable would give a “more stable and reliable service”.

The disruption to journeys has been caused by drivers refusing to work overtime on top of their standard hours.

Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish Government is committed to training up more drivers.

UNDER FIRE: Nicola Sturgeon has faced criticism over the new ScotRail timetable.