SCOTRAIL has finally announced a return to its regular timetable.

This followed a period of vastly reduced services, introduced by the operator because of driver shortages and existing drivers not working overtime.

With the latter issue now resolved, regular scheduling has returned.

While I welcome this news, it is long overdue: North Ayrshire commuters have faced months of disruption.

It is therefore not surprising that customer satisfaction with ScotRail services has fallen by five per cent since the start of the year.

And satisfaction with the frequency of services has also fallen sharply, by 15 per cent. Even with the restoration of this timetable, there are actually one-in-10 fewer services now compared to before the pandemic.

It is obvious that regular services are crucial to encouraging people to use our rail services.

But while ScotRail’s announcement is a step in the right direction, it is unlikely that satisfaction levels will be restored any time soon.

In the last few weeks, the Scottish Government reintroduced peak fares for ScotRail travel, ending its year-long trial that saw them scrapped.

And due to Scottish Government increases to train ticket prices in April, tickets cost nearly 10 per cent more now than they did before peak fares were scrapped – making their reintroduction a double whammy for passengers.

This means that, at peak times, the price of a return ticket from Irvine to Glasgow Central is now £16.30.

The price of the same ticket from Ardrossan South Beach to Glasgow Central is £16.70.

I know from speaking with North Ayrshire commuters and rail unions that they feel peak fares are essentially a stealth tax on working people’s daily commute.

The more people are priced out of train travel, the more likely commuters will be forced back into cars – which will make it even more difficult for us to meet our climate targets.

And besides, the peak fare removal trial was working, with peak-time travel increasing by 40 per cent across Scotland – even with the disruption caused by the reduced timetable.

Frustratingly for workers and businesses in North Ayrshire, however, rail isn’t the only mode of public transport facing problems: the ferry route from Ardrossan to Brodick is also still at serious risk.

My colleague Katy Clark MSP held a Members’ Business debate in the Scottish Parliament last week to highlight this issue.

Ms Clark made the important point that it has now been more than seven years since Transport Scotland identified the need to upgrade Ardrossan Harbour.

If the harbour is not redeveloped, then the forthcoming Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa ferries will be unable to operate from there and will instead have to move to Troon.

The Scottish Government must give a clear and urgent commitment that Ardrossan will be retained as the mainland port to serve Arran in the long-term – but time is running out.

The Ardrossan to Brodick ferry route plays a vital part in the daily lives of many families, workers and businesses in our area – to lose it would be devastating.

People in North Ayrshire deserve reliable and affordable public transport – but Scottish Government policies are moving us in the wrong direction.