TRAIN services to Ayr will benefit from extra carriages in the run up to Christmas, Scotrail has confirmed.

More seats will be available for the busiest services particularly at weekends to allow more shoppers comfort in their travels.

Scotrail has warned trains are still expected to be busy and advised customers should buy their ticket before they board to avoid any queuing.

The train operator has also released information on services over Christmas and New Year. The last trains of the day will depart earlier than normal on both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, and there will be changes to train times over the Christmas and New Year period.

As with previous years, no trains will run on Christmas Day or New Year's Day.

ScotRail Head of Customer Operations Phil Campbell said: “The lead up to Christmas is always a busy time of year, and that’s why we’ll be adding more seats on key routes to help everyone get where they want to be.

“Whether customers are heading to the Christmas markets, a night out, or just picking up presents, we hope they have a great time.

“But trains will be busier than usual so we encourage people to plan their journey in advance at scotrail.co.uk/christmas, and make sure they have their ticket before boarding.”