Shock stats show that 165 ScotRail services were cancelled on local routes in 2019.

The Scottish Government must urgently prioritise investment in Scotland’s rail services, according to Scottish Greens MSP Ross Greer.

Mr Greer who has revealed that 165 ScotRail services were cancelled on the rail routes to Ardrossan and Largs in 2019.

Across Scotland, almost 16,500 ScotRail trains were cancelled in the period.

In addition, 65,680 trains were delayed by more than five minutes in 2019, including 1103 delayed on the on Glasgow Central to Ardrossan/Largs routes.

Mr Greer said: “The huge number of cancellations and delays on the Ardrossan and Largs rail route is totally unacceptable and shows the need for significant investment in Scotland’s railways.

“After decades of cuts and under-investment our rail network is barely coping and it is passengers and the planet suffering because of it. The Scottish Government claims to recognise the urgency of the climate emergency but is continuing to spend billions on unneeded motorway expansion projects when even a fraction of that money spent on our railways instead would lead to huge improvements. We deserve the kind of quality public transport that almost all of our European neighbours have.”

During the week of 13-19 January this year, there were regular cancellations on the route too, during Storm Brendan, and because of a number of other issues with replacement buses regularly having to come into operation due to the disruption.