London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jan 21, 2026

Covid in Scotland: ScotRail absences causing 'significant disruption'

Covid in Scotland: ScotRail absences causing 'significant disruption'

Scotland's rail network is facing "significant disruption" as more than 300 ScotRail staff are currently isolating due to Covid.

The operator said more than 100 services were cancelled on Wednesday.

ScotRail will move to a temporary timetable in January in a bid to offset the impact of the new Omicron variant.

The data emerged as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed a record 15,849 people tested positive in Scotland on Tuesday.

ScotRail communications director David Ross said 320 staff were currently absent, including more than 100 drivers and about 60 conductors.

It is about about 6% of the workforce of 5,300 drivers, conductors and engineers.

The firm has repeatedly warned that staff absences were affecting services over the last couple of weeks, asking passengers to check services before they travel.

Mr Ross told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme that the 10-day isolation rule on its own was not to blame for the cancellations as it only accounted for up to 25% of staff who are currently absent.

He added: "The most significant impact is people who have tested positive themselves or who have symptoms and are awaiting a PCR result so, regardless of the household contact policy there will still be an impact on our services."

Mr Ross said fewer people are using trains at the moment but urged passengers to check before they travel, space out as much as possible and to wait for the next service if a train is too busy.

ScotRail has said it will continue to review staff absence levels over the coming weeks in the event of a further spike in cases. 

Routes affected by the timetable revision, which starts on Tuesday, include: 

*  Glasgow Central - Neilston / Newton

*  Glasgow Central - East Kilbride

*  Glasgow Central - Lanark 

*  Glasgow Central - Ayrshire / Inverclyde / Stranraer 

*  Glasgow Central - Edinburgh Waverley via Shotts

*  Glasgow Queen Street - Edinburgh Waverley via Airdrie & Bathgate

*  Glasgow Queen Street - Edinburgh Waverley via Cumbernauld & Falkirk Grahamston

*  Glasgow Queen Street / Edinburgh Waverley - Stirling / Dunblane / Alloa 

*  Glasgow Queen Street - Anniesland via Maryhill 

*  Edinburgh Waverley - Dunbar / North Berwick 

*  Edinburgh Waverley - Fife 

*  Edinburgh Waverley - Newcraighall / Tweedbank 

  A full list of the changes can be found on the ScotRail website.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Starmer Steps Back from Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Amid Strained US–UK Relations
Prince Harry’s Lawyer Tells UK Court Daily Mail Was Complicit in Unlawful Privacy Invasions
UK Government Approves China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London Amid Debate Over Security and Diplomacy
Trump Cites UK’s Chagos Islands Sovereignty Shift as Justification for Pursuing Greenland Acquisition
UK Government Weighs Australia-Style Social Media Ban for Under-Sixteens Amid Rising Concern Over Online Harm
Trump Aides Say U.S. Has Discussed Offering Asylum to British Jews Amid Growing Antisemitism Concerns
UK Seeks Diplomatic De-escalation with Trump Over Greenland Tariff Threat
Prince Harry Returns to London as High Court Trial Begins Over Alleged Illegal Tabloid Snooping
High-Speed Train Collision in Southern Spain Kills at Least Twenty-One and Injures Scores
Meghan Markle May Return to the U.K. This Summer as Security Review Advances
Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat Sparks EU Response and Risks Deep Transatlantic Rift
Prince Harry’s High Court Battle With Daily Mail Publisher Begins in London
Trump’s Tariff Escalation Presents Complex Challenges for the UK Economy
UK Prime Minister Starmer Rebukes Trump’s Greenland Tariff Strategy as Transatlantic Tensions Rise
Prince Harry’s Last Press Case in UK Court Signals Potential Turning Point in Media and Royal Relations
OpenAI to Begin Advertising in ChatGPT in Strategic Shift to New Revenue Model
GDP Growth Remains the Most Telling Barometer of Britain’s Economic Health
Prince William and Kate Middleton Stay Away as Prince Harry Visits London Amid Lingering Rift
Britain Braces for Colder Weather and Snow Risk as Temperatures Set to Plunge
Mass Protests Erupt as UK Nears Decision on China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London
Prince Harry to Return to UK to Testify in High-Profile Media Trial Against Associated Newspapers
Keir Starmer Rejects Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat as ‘Completely Wrong’
Trump to hit Europe with 10% tariffs until Greenland deal is agreed
Prince Harry Returns to UK High Court as Final Privacy Trial Against Daily Mail Publisher Begins
Britain Confronts a Billion-Pound Wind Energy Paradox Amid Grid Constraints
The graduate 'jobpocalypse': Entry-level jobs are not shrinking. They are disappearing.
Cybercrime, Inc.: When Crime Becomes an Economy. How the World Accidentally Built a Twenty-Trillion-Dollar Criminal Economy
The Return of the Hands: Why the AI Age Is Rewriting the Meaning of “Real Work”
UK PM Kier Scammer Ridicules Tories With "Kamasutra"
Strategic Restraint, Credible Force, and the Discipline of Power
United Kingdom and Norway Endorse NATO’s ‘Arctic Sentry’ Mission Including Greenland
Woman Claiming to Be Freddie Mercury’s Secret Daughter Dies at Forty-Eight After Rare Cancer Battle
UK Launches First-Ever ‘Town of Culture’ Competition to Celebrate Local Stories and Boost Communities
Planned Sale of Shell and Exxon’s UK Gas Assets to Viaro Energy Collapses Amid Regulatory and Market Hurdles
UK Intensifies Arctic Security Engagement as Trump’s Greenland Rhetoric Fuels Allied Concern
Meghan Markle Could Return to the UK for the First Time in Nearly Four Years If Security Is Secured
Meghan Markle Likely to Return to UK Only if Harry Secures Official Security Cover
UAE Restricts Funding for Emiratis to Study in UK Amid Fears Over Muslim Brotherhood Influence
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks to Safeguard Long-Term Agreement Stability
Starmer’s Push to Rally Support for Action Against Elon Musk’s X Faces Setback as Canada Shuns Ban
UK Free School Meals Expansion Faces Political and Budgetary Delays
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks With Britain
Germany Hit by Major Airport Strikes Disrupting European Travel
Prince Harry Seeks King Charles’ Support to Open Invictus Games on UK Return
Washington Holds Back as Britain and France Signal Willingness to Deploy Troops in Postwar Ukraine
Elon Musk Accuses UK Government of Suppressing Free Speech as X Faces Potential Ban Over AI-Generated Content
Russia Deploys Hypersonic Missile in Strike on Ukraine
OpenAI and SoftBank Commit One Billion Dollars to Energy and Data Centre Supplier
UK Prime Minister Starmer Reaffirms Support for Danish Sovereignty Over Greenland Amid U.S. Pressure
UK Support Bolsters U.S. Seizure of Russian-Flagged Tanker Marinera in Atlantic Strike on Sanctions Evasion
×