PUBS and clubs have hit out at the "devastating" cuts to ScotRail services which they said puts at risks business and jobs as it will hit the ability of thousands to have a night out.
Newly-nationalised ScotRail has confirmed it will slash services by nearly a third from next week - just three days after providing a half price offer in a bid to get passengers back on trains.
ScotRail says the temporary but indefinite move, which comes into play from May 23, has come as a result of the drivers pay dispute - which has seen nearly over over 1000 train cancellations in the last 12 days.
Nearly 700 weekdays services are to be cut as part of a temporary timetable "to provide greater certainty and reliability for customers", ScotRail said.
There are concerns that the cuts will hit the last train home for thousands of Scots.
Now the Night Time Industries Association has warned that the cuts will hit pubs and clubs hard.
NTIA Scotland, said: "These devastating cuts to rail services will leave commuters rushing to catch early trains home, and prevent ordinary people across Scotland from travelling in to our towns and cites during the evenings.
"Such cuts to services, even temporarily, is yet another cruel blow for Scotland's hard pressed Night Time Economy and Cultural sector which are yet to recover from the pandemic.
"With these beleaguered industries facing an extremely challenging start to 2022, this news presents considerable concerns both around economic and employment impacts, and of course over the safety of customers and staff travelling home safely at night.
"The Scottish Government must urgently resolve this dispute or they will be putting at risk both Scotland's economic recovery and the future of many thousands of small businesses and jobs."
ScotRail said the move was the result of the" ongoing impact of a significant number of drivers declining to make themselves available for overtime or rest day working", following an announcement by the drivers’ union Aslef that it will ballot for industrial action over pay.
The new transport headache for the Scottish Government has come as it supported a half-price rail fare offer which ended on Sunday to try and entice people back onto trains in the wake of Covid pandemic restrictions being lifted.
It comes as a summer national rail strike is moving closer with the unions National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) and Aslef at deadlock with the minister-controlled ScotRail in a series of disputes.
The RMT ScotRail industrial action could start on July 11 at the earliest, with the Edinburgh festivals starting in the first week of August.
The Scottish Government decided last year to take ScotRail under direct state control stripping Abellio of the franchise three years early in the wake of continuing outcry over service failings and rising costs to the taxpayer.
It came after a 2018 winter timetable with the introduction of high-speed trains and new class 385 electric trains ushered in months of cancellations and disruption to services with much of it put down to staff shortages partly due to training to deal with the new trains and timetable.
The Scottish Government is now in charge of the rail operator, which runs around 2,400 train services each day through an arms-length company ScotRail Trains Ltd.
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