LABOUR election candidate Francesca Brennan says the Scottish Government must get train services back on track.

It was recently announced that the network is to be nationalised and run by a new public sector body.

The changeover will take place when Dutch firm Abellio stop running the ScotRail franchise at the end of next March.

Ms Brennan says the new set-up is long overdue, especially for fed-up passengers in Inverclyde who have highlighted problems with services over the years.

Local customers campaigned for a prolonged period to get rid of the old 'biscuit tin' carriages on the two local lines and have them replaced with modern rolling stock.

There have also been repeated calls for more trains on the Wemyss Bay to Glasgow line.

Ms Brennan said: "Inverclyde Labour has spent years campaigning alongside Inverclyde passengers for better rail services in Inverclyde.

"We've had to put up with delays, cancellations, overcrowding and old and dirty trains.

“The Scottish Government could have acted on this much earlier, and it is their repeated failures that have led us to this point."

Ms Brennan says that the government must demonstrate that they can run train services which are 'fit-for-purpose'.

Abellio has been running the franchise since 2015 but had its contract ended early amid criticism over cancellations and performance levels.

All ScotRail staff will transfer to the new Scottish Government-owned operator.

Ms Brennan told the Tele: "It's vital that they must now guarantee that they can get their act together and deliver a public sector operator that protects staff, delivers excellent value for travellers, and ensures our rail system is a fit-for-purpose, truly world-leading service in the years to come.”