SCOTRAIL is to slash 700 weekday trains as it struggles with a driver shortage – and services to and from all of Dumbarton and the Vale's railway stations will be affected.

The recently nationalised rail service is indefinitely cutting the services – accounting for about a third of trains from Monday-Friday.

Meanwhile, Saturday and Sunday services will operate at about two thirds of normal capacity.

The cuts will take effect from Monday, May 23.

A “significant” number of drivers are not working overtime at the moment as they have rejected an offer of a 2.2 pr cent pay rise , leading to the staff shortage.

Following Wednesday’s announcement from ScotRail, it has been confirmed that union Aslef will be balloting members for strike action.

Joanna Macguire, chief operating officer of ScotRail, said: “As of next week, we plan to reduce our timetable to around 70 per cent.

"We want to deliver 70 per cent of our services very well.

"Due to the withdrawal of rest day working by some colleagues, we have no option but to move to the reduced timetable and to be confident that we can deliver it well.”

Ms Macguire said ScotRail was “not in any way trying to be disruptive or punitive towards or staff”.

Temporary timetables for Monday-Friday services from May 23 were published on Wednesday.

ScotRail said it was “currently working on temporary timetables for Saturdays, which will be broadly similar as Mon-Fri, and for Sundays as well”, and said customers would be updated “in the coming days”.

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On the Balloch-Airdrie line the following changes will be made to Monday-Friday services:

0638 and 0708 Balloch-Airdrie – cancelled

0611 and 0637 Dalmuir-Balloch – cancelled

0644 Airdrie-Balloch - cancelled

The last departure from Balloch will be the 1943 service to Airdrie.

The last service TO Balloch will be the 1945 from Airdrie (calling at Glasgow Queen Street at 2013 and Dumbarton Central at 2054).

On the Helensburgh-Edinburgh route the following changes will be made:

The 0625 from Helensburgh Central to Edinburgh will be cancelled.

The last departure from Helensburgh will be at 2002.

The 0532 from Airdrie to Helensburgh (calling at Glasgow Queen Street at 0603 and arriving in Helensburgh at 0644), will be cancelled.

The first westbound train to Helensburgh will start from Dalmuir at 0649 with no connection available from Glasgow.

The first train from Glasgow to Helensburgh starts from Airdrie at 0635 and departs Glasgow Queen Street at 0702, arriving in Helensburgh at 0743.

The usual 30-minute daytime frequency will be maintained.

The 1924 from Edinburgh to Helensburgh (calling at Glasgow Queen Street at 2047 and arriving in Helensburgh at 2143) will be cancelled.

The 2027 from Edinburgh to Helensburgh (calling at Glasgow Queen Street at 2147 and arriving in Helensburgh at 2242) will be cancelled.

The last westbound train to Helensburgh will be the 2140 from Edinburgh (calling at Glasgow Queen Street at 2217 and arriving in Helensburgh at 2313).

On the West Highland line via Dumbarton Central the following changes will be made:

0520 Glasgow Queen Street-Oban – cancelled

0521 Oban-Glasgow Queen Street - cancelled

1036 Glasgow Queen Street-Oban - cancelled

1441 Oban-Glasgow Queen Street - cancelled

1634 Glasgow Queen Street-Oban - cancelled

2039 Oban-Glasgow Queen Street - cancelled

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Chris Gibb, chief executive of Scottish Rail Holdings, insisted that there are enough drivers going through training to provide a full timetable in the future. However, no specific date was provided.

“As drivers become competent, we will reinstate services as necessary in the coming weeks and months,” he insisted.

Aslef Scottish organiser Kevin Lindsay called for the Scottish Government to allow negotiations to take place in a “fair and open manner”.

“These cuts will have a devastating effect on passengers and their confidence in our railway,” he said.

"It’s industrial vandalism by the Scottish Government.

In a statement to customers, ScotRail said: “We want to resolve this dispute with the trade unions and move forward together to provide the safest, greenest, and most reliable railway we can for Scotland.

“In the meantime, we’re asking customers to check your journey as your train times may have changed.”

Transport minister Jenny Gilruth told MSPs on Wednesday that the revised timetable would give a “more stable and reliable service” to passengers.

Ms Gilruth also called on trade unions who campaigned for public ownership to “come back to the table” to negotiate an agreement.