HELENSBURGH'S MSP has invited government officials to join her on a rush-hour train journey to the town to show them the service being endured by local commuters.

Jackie Baillie reacted angrily after Transport Scotland officials accused ScotRail's critics of “making mischief” over service delays in an article in the October 13 issue of the Advertiser.

Ms Baillie, who say complaints from people throughout her constituency about local train services have spiked in recent months, has already met ScotRail's managing director to discuss issues such as overcrowding, delays, cancellations and trains missing scheduled stops.

“If the SNP Government does not believe me when I say that rail services are not up to scratch,” she said, “then it simply has to speak to local commuters who are fed up of overcrowding, station skipping and cuts to peak time services.

“I have received an unprecedented number of complaints about rail services in recent months and my inbox has been full of tales from frustrated local commuters.

“When passengers pay through the nose for services which are getting worse they have every right to demand a better service. The SNP Government awarded the Scotrail contract to Abellio so rather than trying to brush off the concerns of local passengers it should concentrate on getting our services back on track.

“I would be delighted if Transport Scotland officials joined me on a rush hour service from Glasgow so they get a better idea of what local passengers in Dumbarton, Vale of Leven and Helensburgh have to put up with on their daily commute.”

A spokesperson for Transport Scotland said: “Transport Scotland officials, the Transport Minister and ScotRail staff all regularly travel by train and also receive regular performance reports and feedback. As has been acknowledged recently in Parliament and in our statements to the media, including The Helensburgh Advertiser, we all recognise that there is room for improvement in terms of ScotRail performance and the tough targets in place.

“Since late 2015 seven class 320/4 electric trains have been leased to increase seating capacity by 1,500 daily seats on the Glasgow suburban electrified routes. Four of the trains are currently in passenger service, with the remaining three trains currently going through a refurbishment programme and are due for completion by this December.”