TRAIN service reductions, ticket office closures and job losses could have a devastating impact on Scotland’s railways, rail union leaders have warned after a privateer’s internal report called for cutbacks.

A report circulated for ScotRail operators Abellio, and shared by the RMT union, backed significant cost-cutting that would lead to fewer journeys and put workers at risk of redundancy. 

The research, carried out by Professor Iain Docherty, a former non-executive director of ScotRail and Transport Scotland, questions whether “the provision of ticket offices is viable in the future,” with up to 140 such offices potentially at risk from any attack.