FOOTBALL fans travelling to the Scottish Cup Final this weekend have been urged to plan their train journeys in advance.

Rangers will face Hearts at Hampden on Saturday, May 21, with kick-off at 3pm.

ScotRail announced it would be adding carriages to services between Glasgow Central and Mount Florida.

However, the train operator also advised supporters to leave extra time for travel as trains will be busy, and some services may be cancelled due to a shortage of train drivers.

Scotrail said it is reliant on drivers working overtime or on their rest days because of delays to training new drivers caused by the pandemic.

Following the drivers’ union ASLEF announcing it would ballot for strike action, a significant number of drivers have declined to make themselves available for overtime or rest day working.

READ MORE: ScotRail services must return to normal as soon as possible, says Nicola Sturgeon

ScotRail announced that from Monday (May 23) it will introduce a temporary timetable to provide customers with a level of certainty and reliability.

Fans travelling to the match on Saturday are being warned that queuing systems will be in place before and after the final whistle, which may include key stations across the network.

Customers are asked to buy their return tickets to either Mount Florida or Kings Park in advance on the ScotRail app in order to reduce the need to queue on the day.

Phil Campbell, ScotRail Head of Customer Operations, said: “We’ll be doing all we can to help football fans head to Hampden and see who lifts the final piece of silverware this season.

“We’re adding extra carriages to services to help customers get to the game; however, trains are expected to be very busy.

"Queuing systems will be in place before and after the match so please make sure you know where to go. We have a dedicated webpage at scotrail.co.uk/sport with more information, and our staff will also be on hand to direct you.

“A current shortage of train drivers means that some services across the ScotRail network may be cancelled, so fans travelling to the match should plan ahead and purchase their return train tickets in advance to help their journey go smoothly."