HELENSBURGH’S MSP says ScotRail’s “poor service” is to blame for a decreasing use of railway stations in the area, writes Julie McLaughlin.

Despite an increased use of railway stations in the Strathclyde area, and Scotland, as a whole, a report produced by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) highlighted that there was a decrease in rail station usage from Helensburgh Central, Craigendoran, Cardross and Dalreoch in 2016-17 compared to the previous 12 months.

At Helensburgh Central, the number of entries and exits fell by almost six per cent, to 765,322.

Craigendoran saw a 12 per cent decline, with 136,294 people entering or leaving during 2016-17.

But the local decline was steepest of all in Cardross, where numbers fell by 13.5 per cent to 145,004.

Further down the line, at Dalreoch station in Dumbarton, there was a decline of nine per cent to 364,594 during the year.

In total the four stations west of Dumbarton Central saw a decline of slightly more than 10 per cent, with 114,499 entries and exits during 2016-17.

The figures come from a UK-wide report on station entries, exits and interchanges compiled by the Office for Rail and Road (ORR).

Local MSP Jackie Baillie said the much-criticised practice of ‘station skipping’, where trains miss out certain stops to make up time lost due to delays elsewhere on the line.

Ms Baillie said: “Local commuters know that the only possible explanation is ScotRail’s poor service.

“Ticket prices have gone up each year forcing passengers to pay more for overcrowded trains which skip stations when they are running late, leaving people stranded.

“It is no wonder that people are taking other forms of more reliable transport. It is time for a publicly-owned railway that puts the interests of passengers, not private shareholders, first.”

The SPT report comments that reliability issues or higher car ownership could contribute to the new figures.

The report also states: “Wider societal issues such as the improved affordability of car travel will also have had an impact.”

Elsewhere in the Helensburgh area, while Helensburgh Upper station saw an 8.5 per cent fall in entries and exits, the stations at Garelochhead, Arrochar and Tarbet, and Ardlui all saw growth – by 8.7 per cent, 3.2 per cent and 6.5 per cent respectively.

Across the SPT area – which stretches from Ardlui station on Loch Lomondside to Girvan in South Ayrshire – usage grew to more than 126 million ‘entries and exits’, an increase of 1.29 per cent.

ScotRail said the ORR figures were estimates and did not necessarily reflect actual passenger numbers, though the company was unable to provide actual numbers for comparison.

A ScotRail Alliance spokesman said: “The investment we are making now in smart ticketing, in new ticket machines, in station improvements, in brand new electric trains for the central belt and in high-speed trains connecting Scotland’s seven cities will mean more seats, faster journeys and better services for our customers and help us achieve this goal. “It’s all part of our plan to build the best railway Scotland has ever had.”