NATIONALISED ScotRail is carrying out urgent reviews of its move to cut services by a third - as ministers were warned that they presented a safety risk to the general public.
The Scottish Hospitality Group called for an urgent review of the temporary timetable which has led to one in three services being axed saying they are a safety risk to the general public who want to use pubs, clubs, restaurants and concert venues.
The First Minister has previously said a formal review of the arrangements was not due till June 3.
But ScotRail said yesterday they are "reviewing the temporary timetable regularly" adding that "if we can improve it to provide more services for our customers, we will".
The Night Time Industries Association has already warned that the cuts puts at risk business and jobs as it will hit the ability of thousands to have a night out.
But there are also safety concerns for those revellers who will carry on regardless as the last train home has been brought forward, in some cases by hours.
The concerns surface as Aslef entered informal discussions with ScotRail on Tuesday in the dispute over the 2% pay offer with formal negotiations expected to begin on Thursday.
ScotRail has said the temporary but indefinite timetable has come as a result of the train drivers dispute over a "derisory" two percent pay rise which has meant some refusing to take up the option of working rest days and Sundays, crucial to keep trains running in Scotland.
The state-controlled service axed 700 rail services from Monday due to a lack of drivers meaning that the last trains leaving Scotland’s main cities were leaving much earlier than usual potentially curtailing nights out.
The cuts saw all 10 ScotRail trains to and from Dunbar being cancelled, leaving passengers reliant on a handful of east coast mainline trains.
There are concerns that taxi drivers will not be able to take up the slack for those who want a night out post-Covid.
There has been previous concerns from the licensing trade that a post-Covid shortage of taxi drivers and private hire vehicles in Glasgow was already putting people off going on nights out.
It is estimated that as many as two-thirds of black cabs are set to be forced out of the city centre because of the introduction of car-free areas in Glasgow by 2026. in From June 2023, anyone whose vehicle does not meet Low Emission Zone green standards in Glasgow can be fined up to £480 - and this includes an estimated 1,000 black cab drivers in the city.
Stephen Montgomery of the Scottish Hospitality Group said there are safety concerns for staff and the general public even with predicted reductions in numbers who venture out on nights out because of the cuts.
"There is a massive safety issue for customers. The last thing we want to see is our customers after closing time to be sat on the street wondering where they go from there," he said. "That is the big issue. People will go out in the hope of getting a taxi, or might book it, or it may be delayed or they can't get one. There is a safety fear for staff and for the public. We haven't got enough taxis available. It is an added problem for everyone.
"There has to be common sense discussions. We have come out of a pandemic, and we all need to work together for a recovery."
The UKHospitality Scotland trade body said the timetable being operated by ScotRail is already harming city centre businesses with hotels reporting cancelled bookings.
UKHospitality Scotland executive director Leon Thompson said: "With services ending much earlier in the evening, people are not travelling due to concerns they will need to cut short their night out in order to be able to get home safely and easily.
“The dispute is also hitting daytime business. City centre workers are put off from returning to offices as travel becomes more difficult with 700 services cut. Hospitality venues are the businesses in the front line of this dispute. So are their workers, who see their jobs threatened and who are having their own travel impacted by the substantially reduced timetable.
"If this dispute continues into the summer the implications for the economy and Scotland’s reputation as a leading visitor destination will be considerable. Our hospitality sector needs the railway back to operating on a full timetable as quickly as possible.”
From Monday, the last train from Edinburgh to Glasgow will be at 10.15pm instead of 11.45pm.
The last service from Glasgow to Aberdeen will leave at 6.41pm instead of 9.40pm.
Meanwhile, the last train from Dundee to Edinburgh is now at 8pm rather than 10.48pm. The last train from Perth to Glasgow is 8.14pm, brought forward from 10.48pm.
The Scottish Greens have told SNP partners to review the cuts to nationalised ScotRail services - fearing it is disproportionately hitting certain areas of the country.
The party said their transport spokesperson, Mark Ruskell asked that the government ensure that "no communities are disproportionately impacted" as a result of the emergency timetable, resulting in the transport minister agreeing to look again at the timetable.
And the transport minister has said she hoped a "number" of axed nationalised ScotRail services will be restored "in a matter of days" while offering no hope for compensation to businesses hit by the cuts.
The emergency timetable cuts came after over 1800 trains were cancelled at the last minute over 15 days and just over seven weeks after ScotRail was taken into public ownership by the Scottish Government in what ministers hailed a “historic” move.
And Scotland’s transport minister accused unions of a lack of respect after being accused of lying over the “lying” after claiming she could not intervene personally in the wage storm.
An alliance of business groups have urged Nicola Sturgeon to resolve the pay dispute between train operators and unions.
In a joint statement, some of Scotland’s largest business organisations — which represent more than 25,000 firms — have said the current impasse would undermine the country’s pandemic recovery and frighten off tourists.
David Simpson, ScotRail service delivery director, said: “We’re sorry to our customers for the disruption they are facing as a result of the reduction in services, and we share their frustration. “We’re keen to resolve the dispute as soon as possible and the timetable will operate for as long as it needs to in order to provide a more dependable service.
“There will be a review of the timetable and if we’re able to return it back to normal, or make improvements, we’ll make sure we advise customers through our usual channels, the website, our mobile app, and social media.”
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