MORE than 700 train journeys a day will be slashed from Scotrail’s timetable leaving passengers unable to travel from some of Scotland’s biggest cities after 8pm at night, as drivers threaten a full-scale industrial dispute with the Scottish Government.

Nicola Sturgeon has urged the newly nationalised Scotrail to sit down with trade unions in “good faith” to settle the row over pay.

The rail company has a severe shortage of drivers, and without a hike in pay drivers have refused to work their rest days and carry out overtime, resulting in cancellations.

Now Scotrail is set to introduce a temporary timetable from Monday which will reduce the number of daily rail journeys by a third, causing chaos for passengers and businesses – and there is no end date for services to resume normally.

On Scotland’s busiest line from Edinburgh Waverley to Glasgow Queen Street only 30 services will operate on weekdays compared to the current 45. The last trains will depart at 10.15pm, rather than at 11.45pm.

The last service from Edinburgh to Perth will depart at 7.42pm more than three and a half hours earlier than the current timetable, while passengers travelling to Fife and Dundee can travel no later than 8pm.

Want to see more SNP fails? – Politics Matters

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