ALCOHOL bans will be in place on trains to and from Ayr for the Gold Cup this Saturday. 

ScotRail will be adding more seats ahead to services ahead of the big weekend of horse racing at Ayr Racecourse. 

The William Hill Ayr Gold Cup Festival runs from Thursday until Saturday with the big race set for Saturday afternoon. 

ScotRail who operate trains to Ayr will be adding extra carriages onto key services on the Friday and Saturday for trains between Ayr and Glasgow Central Ayr and Girvan, Girvan and Kilmarnock and Glasgow Central and Kilmarnock. 

The rail operator has urged travellers to expect services to be busier as thousands of punters are expected to flock to Ayr. 

A queining system will be in place at Glasgow Central and at Ayr when the racing ends. 

ScotRail will have extra staff on hand to help customers and as with most large sporting events, alcohol bans will be in place.

ScotRail Head of Customer Operations Phil Campbell said: “The Ayr Gold Cup is a massive day in the Scottish sporting calendar, and we’re really looking forward to, once again, playing our part in making the festival a success.

“We will be adding more seats to services to make things a bit easier for race-goers travelling to and from Ayr.

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