TRAIN services in Cumnock, Doon Valley and Upper Nithsdale have been forgotten about by Scotrail an MSP has claimed.

South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth has slammed the rail operator after they announced a new network timetable which will see no change in the region.

Commuters in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Stirling will benefit when the new timetable begins in December.

Mr Smyth – Labour’s shadow transport secretary – has accused ScotRail and the Scottish Government of ignoring the South West.

He said, “Once again the South West is the forgotten part of Scotland in the eyes of rail bosses and the SNP government. To hail these new timetables as a milestone when part of Scotland – which has the worst services – has been completely ignored, is a real insult to passengers.

“We have seen services on the Nith Valley line cut recently with many direct services to Newcastle axed. There remains a three-hour gap after 9am when there are no services from Dumfries to Glasgow.

“With the chaos at Ayr Station over the state of the former Ayr Station Hotel, the services in the area are far from a milestone in improvements

“There remain no direct services between Kilmarnock and Edinburgh and only a limited number of from Ayr.

“These new timetables were a chance to boost services for people living in the south west, but ScotRail and the Scottish Government have failed miserably and continue to ignore the area. When they claim they are building the best railway Scotland has ever had, they obviously don’t think our area is part of Scotland anymore.”