MEMBERS of the RMT working for ScotRail walked out again on Saturday, in protest at plans to use ticket examiners rather than guards on the Airdrie-Bathgate line when it opens in December. Trains on some rural routes were replaced by buses, but ScotRail said many lines were offering a full service, including trains to Murrayfield for rugby fans watching the 6 Nations match between Scotland and England, which resulted in a 15-15 draw.

It was the third walkout in a long-running dispute over how trains on the restored line will be staffed. The RMT says a fully qualified conductor/guard is essential for safety. But ScotRail has pointed out than more than half its trains are now carrying a ticket examiner instead, and some have been doing so for 25 years.

ScotRail managing director Steve Montgomery said: “It is business as usual. Our contingency plans are such that almost all our customers will not notice there is a strike. The vast majority of travellers are unaffected.”

Although most lines were still operating, buses replaced trains on the Far North and West Highland sections, and also between Kilmarnock and Stranraer, as a result of the walkout.

ScotRail added that Caledonian Sleeper services on Sunday night would be unaffected.

The strike is the last of three which were called by the RMT after talks over train staffing reached deadlock last month, but there is no indication of when negotiations might restart. The drivers’ union ASLEF has already agreed to ScotRail's proposals for the Airdrie-Bathgate line.