A NEW train timetable offering hundreds of extra services every week is set to come into effect locally later this year following a public consultation.

ScotRail’s revamped timetable will provide a half hourly service between Glasgow and Wemyss Bay Monday to Saturday, and faster trains between Glasgow and Gourock.

The proposed timetable, which will launch on June 2, includes 30 more services each weekday which ScotRail say will help boost the local economy by making it easier for communities in Inverclyde to access employment, education, health, and leisure facilities.

The announcement follows a major consultation run by the train operator on the new scheme which attracted more than 800 responses.

ScotRail says the majority of respondents were positively impacted or unaffected by the proposals.

The proposed changes for the Glasgow to Gourock line include two trains per hour until after the evening peak, calling at Paisley Gilmour Street, Bishopton, Port Glasgow, Bogston, and then all stations to Gourock.

This service will take approximately 41 minutes start to finish.

Additional services will also be put on during peak periods and the last limited stop ‘fast’ train services will be at 7.26pm from Gourock to Glasgow and 6:35pm from Glasgow to Gourock.

Two trains per hour will continue to operate in the evening and will now call at all stations between Glasgow and Gourock.

The last service from Glasgow to Gourock remains at 10 to midnight.

For the Glasgow to Wemyss Bay line two trains will operate per hour until 7pm and will call at all stations, with a journey time of just under an hour.

After 7pm, an hourly limited stop service will operate, calling at Paisley Gilmour Street, Bishopton, Port Glasgow, Whinhill, Drumfrochar, Branchton, and Inverkip. 

The last service from Glasgow to Wemyss Bay will be moved back slightly to 10.55pm, compared to the current time of 10.35pm.

No changes are proposed to the Sunday timetable locally beyond the additional Sunday afternoon services between Gourock and Glasgow which were introduced in December.

ScotRail say that following feedback from their consultation, they have also made two further timetable improvements.

The first is that the 5.25am and 6am Gourock to Glasgow services each morning will call at Woodhall, Langbank and Paisley St James.

The second alteration will see the 7.28pm Wemyss Bay to Glasgow service, which is the busiest morning peak service from that part of Inverclyde, retimed to departed at 7.35pm and have a 50-minute journey time to Glasgow.

ScotRail has pledged to continue to review the timetable to identify further opportunities to reduce journey times for customers travelling at the busiest times of day, while maintaining the frequency of service to keep rail an attractive transport choice. 

Full details of the services, including draft timetables, is available at https://www.scotrail.co.uk/ayrshire-and-inverclyde-timetable-consultation.

Scott Prentice, ScotRail strategic planning director, said: “We are delighted that so many people took the time to submit responses in the public consultation and play an active part in helping to decide what future timetables will look like. 

“ScotRail is committed to delivering the possible service to our customers and we believe these changes will result in more people using rail across Inverclyde both for local journeys, and trips to Glasgow. 

“Rail travel remains one of the easiest and sustainable ways to get around Scotland, and we will continue to look at ways of making it an even more attractive mode of transport.”