SCOTRAIL has recorded the lowest rate of skip-stopping since records began in 2009.

For the four weeks to May 26, just 53 out of almost 58,000 scheduled services missed stops – a reduction of 88 per cent on the same period last year.

ScotRail pledged earlier this year to cut out the practice after receiving numerous complaints.

Passengers at Craigendoran, Cardross and Dalreoch, were particularly badly hit by ScotRail’s previous attempts to tackle late running on the Helensburgh Central route.

Jackie Baillie MSP said: “There has been a drop in station-skipping over the past eight weeks and we need to ensure that this progress is sustained in the long term.”

Alex Hynes, managing director of the ScotRail Alliance, said: “We pledged to suspend skip-stopping, except as a last resort, and that is exactly what has happened.”

Mr Hynes and Ms Baillie met disgruntled residents in Cardross in March to discuss skip-stopping and other issues affecting the performance of Helensburgh trains.

According to the latest figures, 91.5 per cent of ScotRail trains met the industry’s ‘public performance measure’ by reaching their destinations within five minutes of their scheduled arrival time in the four weeks to May 26.