Rail passengers in Helensburgh have been given assurances that ScotRail is working to improve its service on local lines.

The train company says it knows its performance needs to get better and it shares the frustrations of customers when things don’t go according to plan.

ScotRail, run by Dutch operator Abellio, made the comments to the Advertiser in response to figures showing performance locally is well below target.

The figures – which have been slammed by Jackie Baillie MSP – show that the franchise’s performance has sunk to 88.2 per cent.

The figures for Balloch, Dumbarton Central and Helensburgh Central all fall further below the national performance level.

At Helensburgh Central, only 82.8 per cent of trains arrived within five minutes of their scheduled time, while less than half of trains to Helensburgh reached their destination within 60 seconds of the time published in ScotRail’s timetables.

The figure for trains to Balloch Central was 82.7 per cent, and at Dumbarton Central it wasn’t much better, at 85.7 per cent.

Ms Baillie said: “I am shocked that less than half of the trains arriving at Balloch and Helensburgh Central are on time.

“Passengers are paying more in fares and experiencing a more unreliable service in return.

“The Cabinet Secretary’s honeymoon period is over. It’s time for him to get a grip of Scotland’s railways once and for all.

“The SNP told us that the Abellio franchise would be a ‘world-leading’ deal but for passengers this has been far from the reality.”

“Franchising has failed passengers and staff; it’s time to bring our railways back into public hands.”

However, the Advertiser understands that two-thirds of the performance issues were caused by factors outwith ScotRail’s control.

This included almost half relating to infrastructure, which is the responsibility of Network Rail.

Last week, Michael Matheson, cabinet secretary for transport, ruled out an early end to the 10-year Abellio contract which began in 2015.

A ScotRail spokesperson said: “The investment we are making in new and upgraded trains, and our recruitment drive to increase the number of people working on our frontline, will help us significantly in enhancing the day-to-day running of services.

“We are building the best railway Scotland has ever had and service performance is a huge part of this delivery.

“Everyone at the ScotRail is working together to deliver these improvements.”

Meanwhile, a Scottish Government spokeswoman said ministers expected the ScotRail Alliance – which includes both Abellio ScotRail and Network Rail in Scotland – to work closely together to improve.

They added: “We have already secured the right for a public sector operator to bid for a rail franchise in Scotland – after being denied by previous UK governments – which will enable a level playing field between the private and public sector in bidding for rail franchises for the benefit of passengers and best value for the public purse.”

She said in recent years 160 extra carriages were added to ScotRail’s fleet, with an extra 200 to follow in the next 12 months, giving a 50 per cent increase in carriages since 2007.