Scotrail to end emergency Omicron timetable next week
Services will return to the December schedule on Monday 14th Feburary
Rail services across Scotland will return to their pre-Christmas frequencies from Monday 14th Feburary as Scotrail confirms the end of the temporary timetable caused by severe staff shortages during the Omicron surge.
At the peak of the last coronavirus wave more than 450 staff were absent, and although around 150 workers are still isolating the operator says it is now able to safely introduce the timetable that was in operation in early December, with around 2,000 services a day.
David Simpson, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: “The introduction of some temporary changes to our timetable was important for our customers, providing a level of certainty during a challenging time.
“Those changes have allowed us to keep people moving across the country, and our staff worked flat out to run a safe and reliable railway in really difficult and continually changing circumstances.
“We still face significant challenges, with 150 staff absent, but with things improving, and restrictions across Scotland being relaxed, we are now able to safely reintroduce our full timetable of around 2,000 services a day.
“The pandemic is not over yet and we will still face some disruption due to staff absence, but we are confident of providing a reliable service for our customers.”
ScotRail is also reminding everyone travelling on Scotland’s Railway to stay safe by continuing to follow Scottish Government guidelines, including the mandatory wearing of a face covering for the entirety of their journey, which includes on trains and in stations – both enclosed and open-air platforms.
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