ScotRail are being forced to introduce a temporary timetable for services in January as the ongoing issue of staff absences due to Covid continue to affect the rail provider.
They made the announcement today (31 December) that a less frequent timetable will be introduced between from 4-28 January, having already been forced to cancel various services due to Covid related absences in recent weeks.
They tweeted: "We're really sorry but we're being forced to bring in a temporary timetable from 4 to 28 January 2022 as we continue to see colleagues off sick because of Covid-19. We have to give customers some certainty about which services are running, but please plan ahead before travelling."
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The hope is that by introducing the pre-planned timetable, less services will suffer from last-minute delays or cancellations during a busy time for the rail provider.
Over the last few weeks, Covid-related absences have continued to strike down ScotRail workers, with a number of statements regarding the issue being posted on social media.
Speaking on the new January timetable, ScotRail have confirmed that some services may even be cancelled due to a lack of staff.
They added: "The rapid spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant has resulted in a large number of absences at ScotRail, with colleagues testing positive, awaiting results, or having to self-isolate. This means that several services have been changed or even cancelled, in recent weeks."
However, a number of busy Edinburgh routes will remain running on a normal basis, such as Glasgow - Edinburgh via Falkirk High, Edinburgh & Glasgow - Dundee/Arbroath/Aberdeen and Edinburgh & Glasgow - Inverness.
Some of the routes that will be affected by the change include Edinburgh - Dunbar/North Berwick, Edinburgh & Fife, Edinburgh - Newcraighall/Tweedbank and Edinburgh & Glasgow - Stirling/Alloa/Dumblane.
