So, ScotRail are proposing a wholesale recasting of the timetable at the same time as they have no idea whatsoever about future journey patterns or usage requirements. They are proposing to maintain (currently) unused peak services, while slashing frequencies of off-peak and evening services, even though most predictions are for almost complete recovery in leisure travel with a decrease in commuting.
My focus is mostly on Lanarkshire, I work in Edinburgh and live in North Lanarkshire (but moving to South Lanarkshire soon), but my antisocial work hours already make public transport unviable. However, my wife is a regular commuter to Glasgow (yes, she returned voluntarily to her office 3 weeks ago), and I try to use the train for as many journeys as possible (even Rail-Sailing to Belfast this weekend).
I do agree with truncating the Cumbernauld to Edinburgh services at Falkirk. The fact that Grahamston provides a same platform interchange means minimal disruption for most users. I'm not on board with reduction in Lanark services into the evening. These services can be very well utilised, and also provide the primary transport link for Carluke and Lanark to their main hospital and areas of employment. Evening bus services being atrocious in this area. The prospect of Carstairs returning to the bad old days of having just a couple of trains a day beggars belief, given the investment SPT and South Lanarkshire Council have made in P&R at this station. Trains towards Edinburgh are generally well loaded from Wishaw, Carluke and Carstairs, especially on Saturdays and during school holidays.
If anything, ScotRail should pivot towards a leisure focussed timetable across much of its network. End the Mon-Sat, Sun timetable, and create a specific Sat timetable. Remove many of the peak time limited stop services, run standard intervals from 7am to 9pm M-F and run a more intensive daytime and evening service at the weekends. Improve connectivity to leisure destinations at the weekend (Lanark to Ayr? Motherwell to North Berwick via Carstairs? East Kilbride to Stirling (via the City Union)?), and can we make sure that services run doubled up on Sundays. I understand that doubling the frequency is almost impossible due to antique Sunday rostering rules, but there is NO excuse for trains running as only 3 coaches. I've avoided Sunday trains from Lanark for years, as the 3 cars that usually turn up are always standing room only by Bellshill, and sometimes even Wishaw. This doesn't encourage train use.
£40m savings aren't something to be sniffed at, but they are a drop in the ocean compared to the overall running costs of the network, and a small price to pay in a "climate emergency". In the year Scotland is hosting COP and we are placing the Greens into power, our largest transport operator and the one that is essentially publicly run, is encouraging more people into cars.
The network needs innovation and fresh thinking, not retrenchment and managed decline.