Rail passengers and businesses in Scotland are furious after more than 700 train services were suspended by the national operator ScotRail in an escalating payment dispute.
Dozens of drivers have refused ScotRail’s requests to work overtime, forcing the recently nationalized company to cancel about 30% of its planned weekday rail services. This has made it impossible for travelers to return home or work sooner or later in the day.
On Twitter, travelers accused the railway operator of “absolute joke” and “complete disaster.” A key worker said the abolition of late night services was “scandalous”.
Is this a joke ?? Last train from Glasgow to glengarnock / Largs now at 22:00? How about people who work until 22:00 without buses, now without trains, so we just stay blocked? An absolute joke
– KᗩTY ᑕ Oᗯᗩ @ (@ KatyCowan86) May 19, 2022
I see that the new @ScotRail schedule introduces its own blocking, ensuring that we can’t travel anywhere in the evening.
– @ Fergusmuirhead (May 19, 2022)
@ScotRail’s emergency schedule is a complete disaster for anyone traveling between Dunblane or BofA and Glasgow. Only one morning service that will arrive before 9 o’clock in the morning. A complete nightmare
– msksquared (@msksquared) May 19, 2022
Key worker late at night during the pandemic. Absolutely scandalous that you will completely eliminate late night services. Disgust does not cover him.
– AlanM (@ twist3dkites) May 19, 2022
The Night Time Industries Association, which represents nightclubs, restaurants, bars and restaurants, said the cuts were another blow to their viability after two years of Covid restrictions. It says the loss of later trains threatens the safety of customers and employees traveling home.
“These devastating cuts in rail services will make travelers rush to catch early trains home and prevent ordinary people in Scotland from traveling to our cities in the evenings,” the group said.
From Monday, the last daily train from Glasgow to Dundee and the intermediate stations will depart at 19:10 instead of 23:10; the last service from Edinburgh to Glasgow will depart at 10.15pm instead of 11.45pm; and the last train from Edinburgh to Perth will depart at 20:00, not 23:13. All 10 ScotRail trains to and from Dunbar have been canceled, leaving passengers to rely on a handful of East Coast trains.
Similar cuts are expected for rail services on Saturday and Sunday, ScotRail reported.
ScotRail relied on drivers hiring additional shifts, but its 2.2% pay offer was rejected by the Aslef drivers’ union, which is preparing to vote for its members in early June for a strike. Prior to this vote, drivers themselves refused to take on additional shifts, union leaders said.
Nicolas Sturgeon, the first minister, was accused by Labor and Conservative leaders during the first minister’s questions that she did not apologize to travelers and that she managed unacceptable and catastrophic service cuts.
Sturgeon called on ScotRail and Aslef to resolve the dispute as soon as possible, and insisted the cuts were temporary. She said it was “very, very clear” on ScotRail that it needed to resolve the crisis.
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She said ScotRail was training additional drivers to reduce overtime dependence, and said any pay transaction should be fair and affordable. She stopped apologizing, but said that “unfortunately” the cuts were “destructive and unacceptable”.
David Simpson, ScotRail’s director of services, told BBC Scotland that the break could last several months if the company fails to reach a deal with Aslef.
“I hope it is less than that, I always hope that we will make some progress. “I think weeks are certainly potentially possible, but we will do everything we can to keep this as short as possible,” he said.
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