ScotRail losing so many train drivers its target to avert disruption is 'absolute fantasy'

ScotRail is losing so many train drivers to retirement and other operators that its target of having enough by 2027 to end reliance on overtime is “absolute fantasy”, according to the Aslef union.

Scotland’s main train firm is desperate to phase out its dependence on drivers volunteering for extra shifts, especially on Sundays.

This has led to its timetable being cut by up to 40 per cent until the end of September because many drivers stopped volunteering as part of a pay dispute.

They are voting on a 4.5 per cent offer which Aslef has recommended they accept.

Aslef says ScotRail is not recruiting train drivers fast enough to keep up with the numbers leaving | John Devlin/The Scotsman

A record number of ScotRail’s 1,300 drivers are leaving the Scottish Government-owned firm, including to retire or for higher pay at long-distance operators. Nearly half are over 55 years old.

Aslef said the exodus was outpacing the company’s objective of training 160 new drivers a year - the most ambitious in Britain. It said at least another 130 drivers would be required.

Nearly as many drivers left as completed their training in the year to April - 76 v 81.

Aslef Scotland secretary Kevin Lindsay told Scotland on Sunday: “ScotRail’s failure under various ownerships to address driver recruitment has led to the situation where they are still heavily reliant on drivers working on their days off.

“It’s an absolute fantasy to suggest this will be addressed in the next 28 months.

“ScotRail have committed to recruiting enough drivers to run the railway seven days a week. This will require a minimum of another 130 drivers on top of the ambitious target that ScotRail have set of 160 new train drivers a year.”

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ScotRail said it had recruited 171 trainee drivers since April last year and was on target to recruit 160 in the year to next March.

It said that would “steadily reduce ScotRail’s reliance on rest day working overtime, which will deliver a more reliable service for passengers”.

However, the minutes of a ScotRail board meeting in March stated: “The number of leavers mean it will be 18 months before productive driver numbers start to increase to the numbers required to reduce rest day working.”

ScotRail service delivery director Mark Ilderton said: “We are committed to recruiting 160 new trainee drivers per year - the highest level ever - and we continue to work on improving our resilience.

“Driving a train is a highly skilled, safety-critical job, with a training process that can take up to 18 months. 

“We are focussed on working at the maximum capacity we can to train drivers and this recruitment will help us improve resilience.”

Scottish Conservatives transport spokesperson Graham Simpson said: “It does not matter who is right about this. I suspect the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

“The important thing is that we get new drivers so that we end the ridiculous situation of relying on overtime working.”

Alex Rowley, his Scottish Labour counterpart, said: “Rail workers and passengers are all paying the price for the SNP’s woeful lack of planning.

“The public ownership of ScotRail [since 2022] was a chance to deliver a real workforce plan, but SNP incompetence has squandered this opportunity.

“The SNP must work with ScotRail and Aslef to fix this mess and train the drivers we need.”