SCOTRAIL’S trains may not be the only thing not running this weekend.
There are fears the firm’s reduced timetable could stop some of the 35,000 participants in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival from getting near the line in time for the starting pistol.
The publicly-owned transport provider is in dispute with trade unions over drivers’ pay. Aslef and RMT members are refusing to work overtime and on rest days until drivers’ salaries increase by around 10 per cent.
They say the 2.2% offered is not acceptable at a time of soaring inflation.
In the meantime, ScotRail has adopted a temporary timetable which has resulted in more than 700 services across Scotland being cut. Early morning and late-night journeys have all been axed.
However, the firm has yet to reveal changes to this weekend’s scheduled services.
Typically, the two day Edinburgh Marathon Festival attracts more than 35,000 runners to the capital, with thousands more spectators.
It’s the first major event since the reduced timetable kicked in on Monday.
The busiest day is Sunday, with the half marathon starting at 8am and the marathon at 10am.
It’s not yet known when the first trains to Edinburgh will be. And last Sunday, before the introduction of the temporary timetable, there were 349 cancellations, with 440 services affected.
Anxious runners have taken to social media to ask the rail firm for assurances.
“Edinburgh marathon 29/5 many of us are planning on the 08:10 Kirkcaldy to Waverley + other stops, to get to the start on time, please no strikes or cancelled services, or lots of disappointed runners!” one wrote.
“When will your revised train timetables for the weekend be available? Have planned for months to get train to the Edinburgh Marathon next week and to use Wallyford - Waverly afterwards but now panicking trains won't be running #emf #scotrail” asked another.
Edinburgh Western MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton said: "People have trained for months to be Edinburgh marathon ready and raised hundreds of thousands of pounds in sponsorship. It would be atrocious for them to be denied their big moment by rail cancellations.
“The city is not set up for thousands of additional people looking to get parked close to the start line.
"Ministers and rail bosses are still unable to give any indication how long these cancellations will last so it's not just the marathon which is at risk, but all of the city's major upcoming events including the Edinburgh festival.
"These cancellations are a blow for business, a challenge for commuters and another bitter blow for Scotland's environmental credentials."
David Simpson, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: “The temporary timetable only came into operation today and it’s not possible to say how long it will be in place.
“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 dependable service to our customers.
“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.
“We’re sorry to our customers for the disruption they’ve faced, and we share their frustration.”
The Edinburgh Marathon Festival did not respond to requests for a comment.
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