On Wednesday, 20 July, the timetable will return based on May 2022 levels. Almost 700 extra trains per day will be added to schedules, bringing to an end the temporary timetable that had been in place during the pay dispute with drivers’ union, ASLEF.
The temporary timetable had been introduced due to the impact of a significant number of drivers declining to make themselves available for overtime or rest day working, as they are entitled to do, during the pay dispute.
Like many train operators across Britain, we have relied on drivers working overtime or on their rest days. In 2019, we committed to employing more drivers to phase out the reliance on this practice, however, the pandemic meant that driver training was significantly delayed. Without COVID, we would have had around 130 extra qualified drivers by now.
That would have significantly reduced our need for drivers to work overtime and rest days.
Work is now in progress to ensure that the timetable can be fully restored, with train planning staff working flat out to carry out the changes required for the near 700 services to be reintroduced. This includes scheduling the movement of trains to where they need to be, with rosters for general grade stuaff and schedules for drivers being altered. We are also managing some increases in COVID-related absences following the recent surge in infections across the country.
You can view the reinstated timetable on the ScotRail app and at scotrail.co.uk. These systems will be updated in the coming days.