This week's Community Column is written by Ross Greer, Green MSP for the West of Scotland.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Better access to public transport has long been a key priority for Greens. How we get to and from our work and education, visit our friends and families, and go about spending our spare time on the things we enjoy is both completely mundane and utterly fundamental.

Whether it’s tackling climate change, reducing air pollution, or building a more equal society, we can’t make serious progress without good transport, and Helensburgh and its surrounding villages are no different.

We know public transport brings wide benefits, both economically and socially. For example, accessible public transport helps to ensure that people who can’t drive, whether due to disability, age, cost or another reason, aren’t cut off from basic opportunities many take for granted in our society.

Rail transport is a huge part of this.

Across Scotland there are many communities that have grown or sprung up since the end of the great railway building era, and others who lost their stations to the infamous ‘Beeching axe’ more than half a century ago.

These are communities now quite literally seeing the benefits the railways bring passing them by. That’s why the Greens pushed for and won a £2 million fund to investigate new ‘pop-up’ stations as part of this year’s Scottish budget.

This fund will enable communities that want to get on the rail network to take the first steps - building a business case and submitting it for consideration to Transport Scotland.

There’s also the prospect of using some of this money in an innovative way by running “pop-up” stations.

These would be temporary stations that can be put up cheaply, served with only minor alterations to existing timetables, and demonstrate the demand for a full service at a permanent station.

Of course, whilst £2m is a great start, it can only go so far. I’m determined to ensure the west of Scotland, including Argyll and Bute, sees the benefits of this fund and gets started on new stations as soon as possible, if we find them to be viable.

Both Rhu and Shandon were served by stations on the West Highland Line until the 1960s, and have been identified by an expert at AllanRail as prospects for pop-up stations. While Shandon is not, in my view, realistic, Rhu has very real potential, though we shouldn’t ignore its challenges either.

A direct rail link up the west coast and to Glasgow would widen opportunities for everyone in the community.

I’m keen to work with residents to develop these proposals further, to find out if we can maximise the potential benefits of new stations.

In this, as in so much else, Greens know we must be bold, and build a transport system that works for every community.