When will ScotRail timetables return to normal?

Simply put, ScotRail does not have enough drivers.

For the full timetable to run, the operator relies on drivers agreeing to do overtime and work on rest days, but that is entirely voluntary.

It is important to say at this stage that this is an issue which affects almost all rail companies across the UK and is not unique to ScotRail.

It is also worth noting, however, that the temporary timetable was in place for 80 days while a pilot scheme scrapping peak-time rail fares was in operation.

Due to the pay dispute, the unions put an overtime ban in place, stopping short of an outright strike, leading ScotRail to roll out a temporary timetable, cutting services that ran four times an hour in half.

During the last pay dispute in 2022, ScotRail agreed to try and recruit and train more drivers, but that takes between 18 and 24 months.

There are currently no vacancies, as of 30 September, for new drivers being advertised on the ScotRail website.

But as the company have already said, they still need to find out which drivers are willing to do overtime or rest day work before the timetable can be restored, and again, despite the negotiations over pay being brought to a close, that takes a bit of time.