Train services to be restored on Borders Railway
Last updated 1st Oct 2024
More trains are set to run on the Borders Railway from next week.
Services between Tweedbank and Edinburgh had been reduced to as few as one every two hours - and even less with unplanned cancellations - after a temporary timetable was introduced in July.
It was imposed by train operator ScotRail to preserve what it described as the “certainty and reliability” of its services, as less drivers made themselves available for overtime during a pay dispute.
But, with a new pay deal now agreed, the half-hourly peak-time service that was in operation before July 10th is being restored.
ScotRail Service Delivery Director Mark Ilderton said: "We are delighted to confirm that our full timetable will return on Monday (October 7th). We have been working round the clock to deliver this in a very short space of time because we know how important a full service is to our customers.
"It’s been a difficult few months for our customers and staff, and we thank everybody for their patience.
"With a pay deal agreed and the full timetable back in place, everyone at ScotRail is focused on delivering a safe, reliable, and green service for our customers."
Around 600 of ScotRail's 2,100 weekday services were lost across Scotland when a temporary timetable was introduced in July.
Borders MP John Lamont (pictured top) is welcoming today's announcement - pointing out the current service is "nowhere near satisfactory".
But he says a commitment's needed from ScotRail that the scrapping of its temporary timetable is not just a short-term measure.
"Many local residents who depend on and use the railway have been very frustrated over the last few weeks and months when the timetable has not been at the level that people would have expected," Mr Lamont told Greatest Hits Radio.
"That's put additional pressure on the services that have been running, and people not being able to get to work or hospital appointments when they wanted to. So, having the service return to the normal levels is obviously welcome.
"But we need a commitment from ScotRail that this is going to continue, it's not a short-term measure. We need to see trains running on time as frequently as people expect, so when people turn up at the station the train is going to be there when they expect it to be."
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ScotRail says it's recruiting 160 new drivers every year to reduce its reliance on overtime working.
Since the train operator entered public ownership in April 2022, it adds more than 250 drivers have been recruited.
But passengers are still being advised to check train services online before they travel.
A spokesperson warned: "Restoring the full timetable cannot be done overnight. There is a lot of work involved – assessing driver availability at all depots across the network, creating new train crew rosters/rotas and publishing them with sufficient notice for staff, ensuring all trains/carriages are at the correct depots at the correct time, gaining approval from Network Rail to ensure the timetable fits in with the services of other operating companies, and updating all systems with the correct information (for example, the website and app)."
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