A KILWINNING man has spoken about the ordeal of being trapped on a train for two hours - just a few seconds from the platform and with his home in view.

Bar manager Kenny Hepburn was stuck on a train which was stopped in its tracks after the railway's electricity supply was switched off on Monday.

Kenny, who lives in Pennyburn, was among hundreds of commuters whose journeys were disrupted when the power supply to the railway's overhead electric wires was turned off between Kilwinning and Ayr.

The step was taken as a safety measure to help firefighters tackle the major blaze at the Station Hotel building next to Ayr rail station.

Video footage emerged online on Tuesday of the train's passengers being evacuated at around 8pm.

But Kenny only caught the train he did because he'd finished work half an hour early.

Kenny described how he had finished his shift at the Harbour Lights in Irvine and headed to the nearby railway station just before 6pm to make the short journey home by train - little knowing what was to follow.

The switching off of the power supply meant Kenny and his fellow passengers were unable to leave the train - and were stuck in the carriages for a further two hours.

"It was a bit of an ordeal," he said.

“I got away from work half an hour early or I would have missed that whole carry on.

“The train just gradually ground to a halt. You didn’t think anything of it.

"We were about forty seconds from the platform, and we were sitting there for two hours.”

Kenny said there was an initial wave of confusion about the situation, until the train driver later made an announcement to clarify that the electricity supply that powers the train had been switched off.

That meant none of the doors could be opened - including those between carriages and to the on-board toilet - meaning there was no route out.

But Kenny was quick to commend the staff for their handling of what he admitted was an “exceptional occurrence”.

He said: “Fair play to the staff. They were very transparent. They were genuine about the information that they had."

Kenny added that the ticket examiner and driver even walked through the train and "had a word with everyone" to try and allay passengers' concerns.

But the train's on-board lights also had to be cut out and Kenny said it was "absolutely pitch black" as time ticked beyond 8pm.

After two hours and a number of false "wee glimmers of hope", the passengers were eventually evacuated.

Kenny explained: “About eight o’clock people were getting phone calls from people on the platform and police came on to evacuate us.”

He, along with other passengers, were helped off the train and onto the tracks - where they made the short walk along to the platform.

READ MORE: WATCH: Passengers evacuate ScotRail train and walk along tracks to Kilwinning station

"It was so frustrating being so close," Kenny added, "but the staff were great, and the transport police were amazing."

The bar manager also explained how staff and officers helped those in wheelchairs and with prams off the train and to navigate the challenging terrain.

Thankfully, Kenny could make light of the situation - which he said has given him a "great story to tell".

Next time, though, he may think twice about knocking off early - or he'll at least phone for a lift.