WORK to replace vital equipment on Helensburgh’s rail lines is now complete after local people complained about train delays and cancellations.

Network Rail recently finished replacing failing axle counters - vital pieces of equipment which count trains in and out of sections of railway line - in the area after years of interruptions to the service.

In very poor weather, water coming over the sea wall at Craigendoran caused the line to flood and the counters to fail, causing repeated train cancellations and delays.

The axle counters, as their name suggests, count the number of train axles which pass over them - and if a fault causes the equipment to “think” it has counted fewer axles than expected, signals in the area will remain at danger because the system thinks a train is still present.

READ MORE: Watch: Helensburgh trains disrupted due to flooding

But the rail infrastructure company has now installed a new dual train detection system in the Craigendoran area, allowing signallers to switch from one system to another so that they can continue signalling services, keeping train services running until the fault has been fixed.

Helensburgh’s MSP, Jackie Baillie, said: “I am delighted that Network Rail has now confirmed that a solution to the problem with the axle counters at Craigendoran has now been installed.

“The problem was first raised with me back in 2018 by local constituents who were frustrated and rightly, sick of late running and cancelled trains caused by the outdated equipment.

“I know local passengers will be delighted to hear that the axle counters will now no longer be causing any delays to their journeys.”

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We’re working hard to make Scotland’s Railway more reliable for our customers and this enhancement will help to reduce weather-related delays on the line through Craigendoran.”

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