Probably the biggest news and political issue in Scotland right now. Quite a long piece for anyone south of the border, but the headlines and a quick skim read should provide the flavour.
The taxi shortage and LEZ stuff is neatly summarised in this piece as well, and how the rail situation will knock on to that (that part is highlighted below).
But it's mainly a night-time economy thing, not to mention gigs and theaters etc. Basically, the late night trains have disappeared from Monday. Not to mention the Edinburgh Festival later in the summer, and there's a bit of a stink about how it'll impact the Open in St Andrews in a few weeks (there's normally an enhanced train service). And they haven't even published timetables for Saturdays and Sundays yet
There's also fewer early morning trains, I think, although the main impact is late evening. Basically, a third of all trains have disappeared
RETURN TICKET PLEASE ScotRail timetable chaos sees music fans sell gig tickets amid fears they’ll be left strandedhttps://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/8 ... o-tickets/MUSIC fans are selling gig tickets in their droves amid fears ScotRail timetable cuts will leave them stranded.The Killers at Falkirk Stadium and Pet Shop Boys Boys at Glasgow's Ovo Hydro are just two big events that could see crowds decimated.
It comes after a train driver pay dispute hit evening services.
A nightclub boss is now warning Scotland’s trains shambles could create a “never-ending chain of misery” as rail chiefs faced growing pressure to reveal their weekend timetable.
Industry guru Donald MacLeod fears the situation - coming hot on the heels of Covid - could also wreck the world-renowned Edinburgh Festival.
He hit out as, incredibly, those with plans this weekend don’t know when engines are running - with operators stating train times for Saturdays and Sundays will be released “ASAP”.
MacLeod said: “It impacts not just the night-time economy, it impacts staff and suppliers and all the way down the food chain.
“If people stop going out, businesses start to suffer and that’s the biggest problem we have here.
“If this continues - and it looks like there is no endgame in sight - this will impact massively on the Edinburgh Festival - one of the best known festivals in the world.
“This will impact tourism, bed and breakfast, hotels and it could become a never-ending chain of misery.”
The fury was sparked on Monday when we told how a reduced timetable saw 700 services axed with a further 21 culled on launch day.
The unplanned cancellations came amid a driver shortage due to a pay dispute, which had seen one in three trains called off.
Scottish Tory MSP Graham Simpson warned: “Passengers are bearing the brunt of savage cuts.”
On Tuesday talks resumed between Aslef and ScotRail chiefs as there were growing fears over travel plans for runners taking part in the Edinburgh Marathon.
Business leaders echoed MacLeod’s concerns as they united to condemn the chaos and press First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to resolve the pay rammy that’s crippled our railways.
A letter calling for urgent action has been signed by bigwigs at the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, the Scottish Tourism Alliance, the Scottish Retail Consortium, Scottish Financial Enterprise and the Institute of Directors Scotland.
It says: “Many of these businesses and city centre hubs, the lifeblood of our economy, are just beginning to emerge from the long and destabilising impact of the Covid pandemic and this latest disruption will undoubtedly take a heavy toll.
“The collective focus must be on accelerating economic recovery and, with many major sports events, festivals, and the high tourist season nearly upon us, this impasse threatens Scotland’s ability to attract visitors at a time when they are most needed.
“Furthermore, we are in the teeth of a cost-of-living crisis and many passengers across the country must have access to a reliable train service that doesn’t require them to spend more disposable income on sourcing alternative routes of travel, just so they can commute to and from work.”
In the wake of the slashed services fuming music fans are offering tickets for sale amid fears they’ll be stranded after seeing their favourite bands.
Many gutted punters told of their dismay at having to miss seeing The Killers who are due to take the stage at the Falkirk Stadium in less than a fortnight.
And others say they’ve been forced to scrap long-standing plans to see The Pet Shops Boys who are due to play at The Hydro in Glasgow this weekend.
Other big gigs which could see their crowds decimated include Alice Cooper and support act the Cult at The Hydro on Saturday, Scots violinist Nicola Benedetti at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall and UB40 at the Barrowlands on Thursday.
One Twitter user fumed: “Relative bought tickets (pre-Covid) for concert in Falkirk.
“Paid well over the odds as it sold out immediately. Now has to cancel as there are no trains after it finished.
“Trying to sell tickets. There are now hundreds available. Wonder why.”
Another Killers fan added: “Now tickets are being offered in their thousands. It is easier for me to travel to London to see them from Edinburgh, than Falkirk.”
One fan was offering four pitch standing briefs for the show at face value and begged other Twitter users to spread the word.
But he was one of countless more worried music fans looking to get rid of their tickets for a host of shows.
Garage nightclub boss MacLeod warned this weekend could see thousands of revellers staying home, with an ongoing taxi shortage fuelling their travel woes.
He said: “This Saturday, for example you’ve got Alice Cooper and The Cult at The Hydro - big ticket prices - but they don’t finish until 10.30pm or 10.45pm.
“And how long does it normally take to get from The Hydro up to the train stations?
“This is going to present huge problems particularly in Glasgow where you already have a taxi shortage.
“A lot of taxi drivers moved into other forms of employment during the pandemic and they haven’t come back
“And next year we are introducing a low emission zone in Glasgow and I understand many of the current vehicles in operation won’t comply.
“That should be delayed to let people get things back together or there will be more trouble on the horizon.“On Monday we have a show at the Barrowlands with Meshuggah and the same night you’ve got My Chemical Romance at The Hydro, how are people meant to get home?
“The Scottish Government really need to pull their fingers out because it’s just a shambles at the moment.”
MacLeod also said the decimated train time-table is the last thing the sector needs after two and a half years of a Covid pandemic that ripped the heart out the industry.
He added: “We were first to close and last to open when the pandemic hit and now we are bearing the brunt again.
“A general feeling of negativity could mean that people just don’t go out.
“Venues like the Garage and the Cathouse have a curfew at 10pm but that’s a pretty tight timeline.
“In some cases we can open doors earlier but by that point people have already made up their minds.
“God forbid that the last train from Glasgow gets cancelled.
“Then you’ve got a whole string of events coming up in the summer including massive shows at Hampden Park and of course TRNSMT.
“There are set timelines these bands play to and are contracted to and the licence itself is granted on this. How do you accommodate that?”
MacLeod went on to question the need for training of new train drivers to be halted during the Covid pandemic.
His comments came as union members, including Scottish signallers, backed a national rail strike.
He added: “This all could have been avoided if the training of new drivers had been signed off during the pandemic.
“It seems now like we were not planning for the future, not planning for a world without Covid which is a disgrace.”