Hundreds of rail services under threat

Crisis looms after SNP takes control

HUNDREDS of train services in Scotland could be axed amid a recruitment crisis and a row over pay, it was claimed yesterday.

Up to a third could be slashed in the biggest reduction in services since the Beeching cuts of the 1960s.

ScotRail bosses are set to announce the timetable changes after driver shortages caused chaos on the railways at the weekend, with hundreds of trains cancelled.

SNP ministers are under increasing pressure to get a grip of the crisis engulfing ScotRail, which was nationalised at the start of last month. Rail unions have accused ministers of trying to ‘spin’ the situation rather than resolving problems.

ScotRail operates around 2,000 services a day, but hundreds could face the axe.

It comes as Nicola Sturgeon yesterday urged nations around the world to stick to commitments made on tackling climate change during a visit to the US.

Kevin Lindsay, Scottish organiser of the train drivers’ union Aslef, said: ‘These cuts are the biggest cuts to services since the dark days of Beeching.

‘We will not stand aside and watch our railway being dismantled as a consequence of appalling mismanagement and a failure to recruit enough drivers.

‘If the Scottish Government plan goes ahead to cut trains it will fatally undermine their own climate targets, which need a huge shift in people from cars to trains, and rip up all of the commitments they gave in relation to the future and importance of rail at Cop26.’

Asked about the threat of cuts, ScotRail yesterday confirmed it was looking at how it can ‘deliver greater timetable certainty and reliability’ and that it will have more to say ‘in the coming days’.

One industry source told The Scotsman: ‘To provide a reliable service without the need for rest day working, the cut would be about 30 to 35 per cent.’

ScotRail began operating a new timetable on Sunday, which saw an extra 150 weekday services, 109 extra on Saturdays and an additional four on Sundays.

But it had to issue an apology following the cancellation of around 300 services on Sunday.

Many drivers have stopped working rest days amid a row over pay, and Aslef has balloted its members over strike action after rejecting a 2.2 per cent pay rise. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union is also expected to serve notice this week that it will ballot members on industrial action.

Figures published by the Scottish Government yesterday showed that the total number of staff working for ScotRail fell from 5,304 in December 2019 to 5,248 in December 2020 and 5,137 in December 2021.

It said the reductions were down to factors including ‘inability to recruit and train due to Covid restrictions’, delays to appointments to apprentice roles, and ‘considerably fewer’ services operating during the pandemic, ‘which subsequently required less resources’.

On BBC Good Morning Scotland yesterday, Mr Lindsay said the pay talks have been ‘the worst negotiations I’ve been part of in 30 years as a union representative’.

He added: ‘You’ve got to remember that ScotRail have already cut the rail service, so there is a lot of spin going on just now about how they are going to fix things in the future. Why is everything in the future? Why can Scotland not get the railway it deserves now?’

Scottish Tory transport spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘The SNP Government promised to change ScotRail for the better when it was nationalised. But passengers have only seen rocketing fares, shutting ticket offices and continuing disruption. Services are a long way off from returning to pre-pandemic levels. So news of further cuts will generate even more uncertainty for customers and staff.’

David Simpson, ScotRail’s service delivery director, said: ‘We are experiencing a driver shortage, which means some services will be cancelled. We are very sorry for the disruption this will cause.’

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: ‘It is our intention for ScotRail and its staff to benefit from the transition to public sector control and that is why we would call on everyone involved to take time to consider all options carefully.’

‘Biggest cuts since Beeching’