A NUMBER of temporary rail service suspensions will hit East Lothian next month as a result of staff shortages caused by the rising number of Covid-19 cases.

The 5.56pm and 7.05pm North Berwick to Edinburgh trains and the 5.15pm and 6.17pm Edinburgh to North Berwick services will be suspended from Tuesday until January 28.

A ScotRail spokesperson said: “The rapid spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant has resulted in a large number of absences at ScotRail, with colleagues testing positive, awaiting results or having to self-isolate.

“To provide a greater level of certainty to our customers, a temporary timetable will come into effect.”