Services cut as temporary timetable bites

Rail travellers in Tayside and Fife are expecting for a difficult time as ScotRail prepares to slash services.

The rail operator will introduce a temporary timetable on Monday with around 700 fewer services nationwide.

Services across Tayside and Fife have been hit, with Dundee travellers angered by the last Dundee to Edinburgh leaving at only 8.30pm.

Other popular routes have not escaped.

Twenty journeys have been cut between Perth and Dundee, with the latest departure now at 8.26pm, as opposed to just after midnight.

The first train leaving Perth for Dundee will be 8.47am, getting in at 9.07am. There is a gap of nearly two hours between the 10.50am and 12.44pm departures. The next train leaving Perth for Dundee after that is the 2.45pm.

There will be nine fewer daily services from Dundee to Leuchars with the last train leaving Dundee for the Fife town at 6.47pm.

The 21 daily services from Dunfermline to

Glenrothes have been slashed to 15, with the last train leaving at 7.52pm.

Three Montrose to Arbroath trains – departing Montrose at 6.09am, 6.32am and 7.15am – have been cut and the last train leaves at 9.42pm.

Sixteen daily trips from Invergowrie to Dundee are now reduced to seven with no afternoon departures. The last evening train for Dundee departs at 8.44pm.

Only two daily services on the Edinburgh to Dundee line linked Perth to Dunfermline. The latter of those departed at 7am. The new timetable sees an end to both.

The busy service for people travelling from Montrose to Aberdeen has been reduced from 38 daily trains to 26. The last train for the Granite City used to leave Montrose at 11.44pm but will now leave at 10.28pm.

The emergency timetable was announced after a slew of cancellations due to industrial action by the Aslef union over a pay dispute.