TRAIN stations in Irvine, Dalry, Saltcoats, and Glengarnock have been found to not be fully accessible to mobility restricted people.

Additionally, the UK Government has not awarded any stations in North Ayrshire Access for All funding which intends to help create “obstacle free, accessible routes” for rail passengers.

Figures also showed that only a third of train stations throughout the west of Scotland have been found to be fully accessible to people with mobility issues.

In response to the statistics, West Scotland Labour MSP Katy Clark will be writing to the UK Government to call for more funding to be made available so that the stations can undergo the refurbishments they need.

She will also be writing to Transport Scotland to make recommendations based upon the needs of the stations that are the least accessible.

Ms Clark said: “Constituents have got in touch with me to express their concern that disability access at their closest stations is lacking.

“Having now obtained the raw numbers from ScotRail, it is clear access is woefully insufficient at a number of stations despite it being a legal requirement.

“Public transport in the 21st century should be fully accessible to all. The Access for All fund is vital for improving infrastructure to this end, but it appears very few projects are planned.

“This fund is managed by the UK Government, but the Scottish Government and Network Rail make recommendations. I will be writing to all three to demand greater levels of investment.”

The Access for All programme is managed by the Department for Transport where eligible stations are given funding if they are in accordance with their criteria.

Currently, the programme is considering new nominations for the next control period.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We believe our railways should be fully accessible for all. Unfortunately, responsibility for accessibility is reserved to the UK Government – Scottish Ministers have repeatedly called for this matter to be devolved and would certainly welcome Ms Clark’s support.

“However, until that happens, we continue to invest in accessibility improvements at our stations beyond that provided by the UK Government’s ‘Access for All’ programme, including trying to ensure new and refurbished stations are barrier free.  ScotRail also has arrangements in place for passengers to access our railways at any station by making use of the passenger assist process.”