ScotRail has said it will increase the number of services it provides in November as it prepares for a “bumper month” of sport. The transport provider said it would add “additional services and seats where possible” for fans travelling to major sporting events.
ScotRail did not say which services, or how many, would increase. The nationalised service had been running a reduced timetable since the summer following a dispute over pay.
The full timetable was re-introduced earlier this month and ScotRail said it was hiring 160 drivers to cope with an ongoing staff shortage. And in September, peak fares were reintroduced after the Scottish Government decided not to extend a pilot scheme.
Saturday’s announcement comes ahead of a number of big sporting events next month, including the Famous Grouse Nations Series’ Scotland vs Fiji match at Murrayfield on November 2.
Scotland will also host South Africa on November 10, Portugal on November 16 and Australia on November 24. Meanwhile, the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals will take place at Hampden Park on November 2-3.
Celtic will face Aberdeen on the Saturday evening, while Motherwell will take on Rangers on the Sunday. Fans attending the games are advised to plan their journeys in advance and leave extra time for travel.
Phil Campbell, ScotRail’s customer operations director, said: “November is set to be a bumper month of sport across Scotland’s Railway, and we’ll be doing all we can to support travel to and from the events with more seats and more services, where possible.
“With a number of high-profile rugby and football matches taking place, trains are expected to be much busier than usual, so we’re encouraging everyone to allow extra time for travel”.
He also said people should “check their journey in advance via our online journey planner” and added: “Buying return tickets before you board through mTickets on our mobile app will help your journey run smoothly.”
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