Rail service cuts hit fans’ hopes of seeing vital World Cup play-off
SCOTRAIL’S new “emergency” timetable will see the last trains to major cities across Scotland leave Glasgow before Scotland’s vital World Cup qualification play-off with Ukraine at Hampden even kicks off.
Ministers are being urged to lay on more trains to ensure the cuts do not stop many of the Tartan Army attending the sell-out match.
Train operator Scotrail confirmed it will slash services by nearly a third from next week due to a driver shortage exacerbated by two pay disputes involving the unions, National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) and Aslef , after the rejection of a 2.2% pay rise.
Scotrail says the temporary but indefinite move to axe 700 services, which comes into effect from Monday, has come as a result of the drivers’ pay dispute which has meant some refusing to take up the option of working on rest days and Sundays.
Scotland’s crunch tie with Ukraine kicks off on June 1 at 7.45pm at
Hampden, however, the last train to Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth and Inverness will leave before kick off.
The last train from Glasgow to Aberdeen is scheduled to leave at 6.41pm, to Dundee it will be 7.10pm, and to Perth it will be 7.37pm.
The last service to Edinburgh is scheduled for 10.15pm – at least a quarter of an hour before the end of proceedings at Hampden were the match to include extra time and penalties.
There are now fears that many of the hardcore Tartan Army fans could miss the match.
Tartan Army member Katrina Walker from Auchtermuchty, who organises supporters bus to travel to Scotland games and who has been turning away fans from her fullybooked bus, said: “The whole thing is just outrageous.”
The Scottish Government decided to take Scotrail under its direct control, stripping Dutch state firm Abellio of the franchise three years early in the wake of continuing outcry over service failings and rising costs to the taxpayer.
The Scottish Government took charge of the rail operator from April and was running around 2,400 train services each day through an armslength company, Scotrail Trains Ltd.
Speaking as rail services were brought back into the sector last month, the First Minister said it was a “historic moment” and a “significant milestone”.
Scotrail says the temporary but indefinite move to axe 700 services, which comes into play from Monday, has come as a result of the drivers’ pay dispute which has led to some refusing to take up the option of working on their days off and Sundays.
The service is reliant on drivers doing overtime to keep trains running.
The driver shortages that have been exacerbated by the dispute lodged by union Aslef have resulted in nearly 1200 train cancellations in the last 13 days.
Liam Kerr, the Scottish Conservatives’ transport spokesman, said: “The play-off with Ukraine is Scotland’s most important World Cup clash since we last reached the tournament itself in 1998, so the SNP Government and Scotrail must ensure the tens of thousands of fans attending can get home that night.
“We know that much of the Tartan Army hail from our northern cities, so they need to be catered for appropriately.
“It’s completely unacceptable that the last trains to Aberdeen, Dundee and Perth leave before the match has even kicked off.
“Many of these supporters will have work the following morning, even assuming they can afford the expense of an overnight hotel stay in Glasgow.
“Scotrail simply must lay on additional, later services that night. But this match just highlights how absurd the new scaled-back timetable is.
Phil Campbell, Scotrail head of customer operations, said: “We’ll be issuing travel advice for the upcoming Scotland internationals in the lead up to the games.”
Football fans travelling to the Scottish Cup final between Rangers and Hearts today have been warned of cancellations to train services because of the driver dispute.
It’s completely unacceptable that last trains leave before the match has even kicked off