Many constituents have recently been in touch with me over their concerns about disruption to rail services across Ayrshire due to difficulties at Ayr Station.
I have been in communication with ScotRail about this and have received the update below from Mr Paul McKay, External Relations Manager, ScotRail.
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Thank you for your letter on behalf of your constituents regarding the disruption to train services following the extension of the exclusion zone around the Station Hotel in Ayr. Alex Hynes has asked me to respond on his behalf.
As you note, South Ayrshire Council imposed an exclusion zone at Ayr station early last week, which is having an impact on our services. This is because the former hotel building next to the station has been deemed unsafe. The hotel building isn’t owned or operated by ScotRail. This exclusion zone means services via Ayr will be disrupted for the foreseeable future.
For clarity, the station remains open for business and, despite reports, will not be closing today, Monday 03 September.
The station is open and services continue to operate from there. There are no current plans to close Ayr station, and we will continue to do everything we can to keep people moving during this difficult situation. We will continue to keep this matter under review. If South Ayrshire Council extends its exclusion zone, then we would have to assess the impact this would have on our ability to operate trains from the station.
The following service alterations will apply and will continue for as long as the council’s exclusion zone remains in place:
Services between Ayr and Glasgow Central will have reduced capacity because of the restrictions that have been applied by the council, as the platforms at Ayr station can only accommodate four-carriage trains. A number of early morning services will also be subject to cancellation as we no longer have access to the Ayr Townhead servicing depot. Bus services will operate at points along the route to get people where they need to be.
Customers travelling from Paisley Gilmour Street to Glasgow Central should use services from platform 1 if possible (Gourock and Wemyss Bay services), and the same on return from Glasgow Central.
Services between Glasgow Central and Stranraer will start and terminate at Kilmarnock Buses are in place to get customers from Ayr to Stranraer. We are unable to run trains between Kilmarnock in Ayr due to the exclusion zone restrictions imposed by the council, which have impacted our platform and line capacity. Customers travelling to Stranraer from Kilmarnock, or vice versa, will be provided with a taxi to/from Ayr station, from where they will be able to get a bus. Customer should speak with a member of our station team or use the station Help Point if you require assistance.
There will be no services between Ayr and Girvan. Buses are in place to take customers between Ayr and Girvan.
We will keep our services under constant review, to ensure we are providing the best possible service to our customers along the route. This includes customers at stations along the route closer to Glasgow Central, who are impacted by the reduced capacity and we will keep them informed of any changes.
Customers should check @ScotRail on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/scotrail,
the live departure information on our website:
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/about-scotrail/news/changes-services-between-glasgow-central-ayr-and-stranraer), or download our app (https://www.scotrail.co.uk/plan-your-journey/free-scotrail-app) before starting their journey to check which services are operating.
Once again, we are sorry to our customers for any inconvenience caused by this situation which is outwith our control. All our staff are working hard to keep customers moving and getting them where they need to be.
Thank you for getting in touch and I hope this response has been helpful. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any other questions.
Best wishes,
Paul McKay
External Relations Manager
ScotRail
