OLD trains being used on Inverclyde routes are so overcrowded they are unsafe, it is claimed.

Inverclyde’s two rail routes are the only ones in Scotland to have modern trains removed for driver training elsewhere – and there are fears they won’t be brought back.

ScotRail insist that, ‘if all goes to plan’, the modern trains will be returned in summer next year.

But council election candidate Eddie McEleny says that is not what he has been told by ScotRail staff.

Mr McEleny, who is standing as an independent in ward four, Inverclyde North, said: “I have complained about the state of the old trains to staff, who informed me their information is that the new trains would never return to Inverclyde.

“Instead, they said, we would get refurbished old trains to go alongside the elderly ones that replaced the modern trains.

“I am one of the daily commuters from Greenock to Glasgow who have to endure the toil of being crammed into the old and unreliable trains that offer little in the way of comfort.

“No toilets, no wi-fi, no air conditioning and no reduction on our fares, which went up by three per cent in January. It now costs £166 a month for a season ticket to Glasgow.

“These trains run at peak times and are so overcrowded that I believe they are unsafe. I can always stand crushed against the doors or stand in the aisle. However, I have witnessed mothers with young children being put under the same pressure, causing distress. 

“On two separate occasions while on the train the doors would not open. We were asked to vacate our compartment and make our way through another overcrowded compartment before getting off.

“We commuters deserve better for the money we pay to travel. This poor standard of service is unacceptable, and ScotRail should act on this issue now.”

ScotRail say that, each weekday, 38 out of 55 Gourock to Glasgow and 10 out of 19 Wemyss Bay to Glasgow services are operated by the modern Class 380 trains.

The remainder of services are temporarily operated by older Class 314s, they say, to allow driver training.

A spokesman said: “We have done everything we can to limit the impact on customers, including, where possible, spacing out the 314s throughout the day. 

“This means that customers can choose a slightly earlier or later train if they prefer to travel on a Class 380.”