Reduced trains in the north east as temporary timetable introduced

A temporary timetable is being introduced by ScotRail tomorrow (Wednesday, July 10) meaning there's going to be less trains running in the north east

It's as a dispute with drivers over pay rumbles on. ASLEF is recommending a ballot for industrial action after rejecting a pay offer on Friday.

Services from Montrose, Inverurie and Aberdeen are affected as a result of their refusal to work overtime, something the operator says is vital to keep lines running.

It means there's fewer train drivers available than normal.

ScotRail says it's recruiting 160 new drivers but working on rest days or taking overtime is still needed to deliver its normal timetable.

A spokesperson for the operator says: "Reducing the timetable temporarily will mean ScotRail is able to provide a more reliable service for customers instead of late-notice cancellations.

"The temporary timetable will see ScotRail operating around 1,660 services each day Monday to Saturday, which is nearly 200 more services than the one introduced in 2022 when there was similar disruption.

"The temporary timetable will also provide more than 515,000 seats each day, around twice the number of passenger journeys being made.

"While the times of first or last trains on more than half of all routes will remain unchanged, there will be changes in the number of services provided during the morning and evening peak times – for example, where there are normally four trains per hour in the peak, this will reduce to a half hourly service, which is the same as the off-peak."

Details on the services can be found here.

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: “We are very sorry to customers for the disruption to services. We know that customers want certainty and reliability, which is why we are introducing a temporary timetable, in place of late-notice cancellations.

“We are operating services which the vast majority of customers use and are still using all the available trains in our fleet so customers can continue to travel.

“We want to resolve the pay dispute with the trade unions and remain fully committed to further discussions.

“We’re asking customers to check their journey on our website or mobile app, as train times will have changed.”