THE punctuality of ScotRail services in South Ayrshire has been branded "completely unacceptable" by an opposition MSP.

ScotRail's most recent performance update details the percentage of trains arriving on time at stations across the country between December 11 and January 7.

ScotRail uses its PPM (Public Performance Measure) to classify a train as "on time" when it arrives within five minutes of its booked arrival time.

The new figures show that 37.7 per cent of trains calling at Girvan arrived on time - i.e. or no more than 59 secondds late - along with 42.3 per cent of services terminating at the station.

Using the PPM calculation, however, the figure rises to 91.3 per cent.

At Ayr - the only other South Ayrshire station listed in the figures - 65.5 per cent of terminating trains, and 67 per cent of calling services, arrived within 59 seconds of the advertised time.

The PPM figure for Ayr is 91.4 per cent.

Sharon Dowey, who represents the South Scotland region for the Conservatives, called the performance statistics "completely unacceptable".

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Ms Dowey said: “For passengers in Ayr and Girvan, the number of trains arriving and departing late from the station is completely unacceptable.

“For those on their daily commute, it must be frustrating to show up to the station each day to find out that their train has been delayed.

"In Girvan, this will be a regular occurrence, with just 37.7 per cent of trains arriving on time.

“With the rail service so unreliable in Ayr and Girvan, the public will begin losing trust in ScotRail to get them where they need to be.

"I’ll be asking the Scottish Transport Secretary what work is being done to address these delays, and I’m calling on the SNP to make 2023 the year they get to grips with our rail service.”

Phil Campbell, ScotRail Head of Customer Operations, said: “Everyone across Scotland’s Railway works tirelessly to deliver a safe, reliable, and robust service for our customers.

“In the most recent reporting period, more than nine out of 10 trains arriving at Ayr and Girvan station met their performance target, however, we understand and share the frustration of our customers when things do not go to plan, so we’ll continue to work flat out to deliver the service they expect and deserve.”

To view the ScotRail figures, click here.