Local SNP MSP Tom Arthur has shown his support for Scotrail commitments to strengthening peak services between Barrhead and Glasgow Central.

Additional Class 156 trains are to be provided for morning and evening journeys between Barrhead and Glasgow Central. This will mean more four-carriage trains, each with 284 seats, to and from Barrhead at peak times.

Starting on 19 May, the following peak services will be strengthened from two to four carriages Monday to Friday:

•             07:26 Barrhead to Glasgow Central

•             08:32 Barrhead to Glasgow Central

•             16:57 Glasgow Central to Barrhead

•             17:58 Glasgow Central to Barrhead

Significant passenger growth has led to overcrowding, but this improvement will mean more than 3,000 additional seats available on the route each weekday.

Commenting, Tom Arthur MSP said:

“Having engaged and met with Scotrail to stress the need for increased capacity, this is welcome news and will be a necessary boost for rail passengers travelling to and from Barrhead.

“I’m hopeful that this much-needed improvement will help tackle overcrowding which has affected passengers travelling on peak-time services for too long.

“This next step comes after improvements to capacity on the Glasgow Central to Neilston line, where services increased from 3 to 4 carriages from December 2018. A further long-term development needed will be the electrification of the line to Central.”

Train services on the route have experienced significant passenger growth in recent years but ScotRail has been slow to catch up, leading to frequent overcrowding on journeys.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson said:

“This Scottish Government wants rail to continue to grow, making it an attractive alternative to the car. Our ongoing investment is expected to deliver real benefits, not only through improved infrastructure but also as more new and upgraded trains enter service.

“We also want passengers to benefit from the additional capacity and look to the ScotRail Alliance to ensure as smooth a timetable change as possible.”

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