ScotRail will increase services for the ‘exceptional month’ of sport including rugby and football

ScotRail has said it will increase the number of services it offers in November as it prepares for an “excellent month” of sport.

The transport provider said it would add “additional services and seats where possible” for fans traveling to major sporting events.

ScotRail has not said which services or how many will increase.

The nationalized service had been on reduced hours since the summer following a dispute over pay.

The full timetable was reintroduced earlier this month and ScotRail said it was hiring 160 drivers to deal with the staff shortage.

And in September, peak fares were reintroduced after the Scottish Government decided not to extend a pilot scheme.

Saturday’s announcement comes ahead of several big sporting events next month, including Scotland v Fiji in the Famous Grouse Nations Series at Murrayfield on November 2.

Scotland will also host South Africa on November 10, Portugal on November 16 and Australia on November 24.

Meanwhile, the semi-finals of the Premier Sports Cup will take place at Hampden Park on November 2 and 3.

Celtic face Aberdeen on Saturday night, while Motherwell take on Rangers on Sunday.

Fans attending the games are advised to plan their trips in advance and allow extra travel time.

Phil Campbell, director of customer operations at ScotRail, said: “November is going to be a fantastic month for rail sport in Scotland and we will be doing everything we can to support travel to and from events with more venues and more many services where possible.

“With a number of high-profile rugby and football matches, trains are expected to be much busier than usual, so we encourage everyone to allow extra travel time and check their journey in advance via the planner our online travel.

“Purchasing your return tickets before you board through mTickets on our mobile app will help your journey run smoothly.”

Follow STV News on WhatsApp

Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country