Rail workers have called for ScotRail proposals to reduce its services to be scrapped amid concerns this will have a negative impact on passengers.
The RMT union has condemned the company’s plans to slash hundreds of trains across the country, saying the revised timetable is “nothing short of a scandal”.
Under the proposed changes, ScotRail will operate a total of 2,100 services per day from May 2022, which is around 300 fewer from before the pandemic.
Passenger journeys have now risen to around 50% of their pre-Covid levels, but the company has insisted the new timetable is designed to accommodate future demand.
The union has previously hit out at the proposed timetable, saying it is a “transparent attempt to use the pandemic as a cover for cuts” and has nothing to do with passengers.
‘Changes would have negative impact on passengers’
A recent survey has revealed that an overwhelming majority of frontline rail workers believe that the changes would have a negative impact on passengers.
Out of nearly 400 ScotRail members who took part in the survey, 96% believe the cuts will affect passengers negatively, while 89% fear the changes will potentially discourage people from taking the train.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “RMT’s frontline ScotRail members know first-hand that these proposed service cuts will be terrible for passengers and Scotland’s railway.
“Rather than rebuilding Scotland’s railway after the pandemic, these cuts will deter passengers from the rail network and push more people into cars.
“RMT is calling on the Scottish Government, which is managing the ScotRail franchise, to listen to this indisputable message from frontline rail workers that the cuts will push passengers away from the rail network, and to scrap the proposals to slash ScotRail services.”
Proposals ‘mockery’ of government targets
ScotRail claim that they have revised their services in response to passenger numbers, and to help reduce unnecessary emissions – while saving the taxpayer £30million-£40million a year.
The train company first brought in a reduced timetable when the country went into lockdown in March 2020 as passenger numbers plunged.
They say that prior the pandemic, there were “significantly more seats” being provided than required on a number of routes across the country – with many remaining empty for 77% of the distance that was travelled.
But the union has insisted that considering proposals to slash sustainable rail services as the country gears up to host the UN climate change conference COP26, is making a “mockery” of the government’s targets.
ScotRail insists new timetable reflects on passenger demand
A ScotRail spokesman, however, said the new timetable is the foundation of building a “greener, more sustainable” railway.
He said: “The pandemic has changed how people travel across all of Scotland and our services need to reflect that. That’s why we are now in the process of designing new timetables to accommodate future levels of passenger demand.
“These proposals offer more services than are running today and are a new foundation for us to build on as we continue to recover and build a greener, more sustainable railway.
“We are proposing a new, better performing timetable with focus on improved punctuality and reliability, which we know is a priority for our customers.
“Rail is already the most sustainable mode of public transport, contributing only one per cent of Scotland’s overall transport carbon emissions, so it’s important that everyone – management, staff, trade unions, suppliers, and government – works together to continue to modernise the railway so that it is fit for the future.”