Rail services cut back for three weeks amid staff Covid absences

Several train journeys will be withdrawn or amended at the start of the New Year as ScotRail cuts back its services as a result of staff shortages caused by Covid.

Twelve routes in the central belt will be affected by an altered timetable that will be active for three and a half weeks between January 4 and January 28.

The changes will mainly take place during the week.

ScotRail say absences caused by Covid-19 have already led to some trains being cancelled in the run-up to Christmas and passengers have been advised to check the status of their journey before they head to the station.

ScotRail operations director David Simpson said:  “Like most businesses, ScotRail is not immune to the impact of coronavirus.

“We’ve been working flat out to run a safe and reliable railway in really difficult and rapidly changing circumstances.

“As we continue to battle against the impact of coronavirus, we want to provide customers with a level of certainty, which is why we are introducing some temporary changes to our timetable from Tuesday, January 4 until Friday, January 28, 2022.

“We’ve looked to spread these changes out across the day where possible to minimise the impact on our customers, but people should plan ahead and continue to check the train times right up until they arrive at the station.

“We urge anyone travelling with us to stay safe and continue to follow government guidance.

“This includes maintaining good hand hygiene and wearing a face covering for your entire journey.”

A full list of routes affected by the changes can be found on the ScotRail website here.