EIGHT train services on the Borders railway will be withdrawn due to the "continued impact of coronavirus".

Today (December 27) ScotRail has announced that four services leaving Tweedbank and four departing Edinburgh for the Borders will be temporarily withdrawn in January to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

The company said that the service cuts are a result of COVID-related staff absences – with some testing positive for the virus, others awaiting PCR results, and others who are self-isolating after being in contact with a person who had tested positive.

The train times which are being temporarily changed are:

  • Tweedbank-Edinburgh – 6.58am; 7.58am; 8.59am; 6.59pm
  • Edinburgh-Tweedbank – 6.50am; 7.51am; 4.53pm; 5.56pm

These timetable changes come into force on January 4 and will operate Monday to Friday until Tuesday, January 28.

David Simpson, ScotRail operations director, said: “Like most businesses, ScotRail is not immune to the impact of coronavirus. We’ve been working flat out to run a safe and reliable railway in really difficult and rapidly changing circumstances. 

“As we continue to battle against the impact of coronavirus, we want to provide customers with a level of certainty, which is why we are introducing some temporary changes to our timetable from Tuesday, 4 January until Tuesday, 28 January 2022. 

"We’ve looked to spread these changes out across the day where possible to minimise the impact on our customers, but people should plan ahead and continue to check the train times right up until they arrive at the station. 

“We urge anyone travelling with us to stay safe and continue to follow government guidance. This includes maintaining good hand hygiene and wearing a face covering for your entire journey.” 

Customers are asked to continue following Scottish Government guidance on coronavirus while using ScotRail trains, including the wearing of face coverings for the duration of their journey.

ScotRail is also advising customers to take a lateral flow test before travelling.

For service updates, visit the ScotRail website, or the company's Twitter page.