Figures obtained from ScotRail through Freedom of Information laws show that services along the two local train routes have been cancelled more than 3,659 times since 2017.

West Scotland MSP Neil Bibby, who is a transport spokesperson for Scottish Labour, described the number of cancellations as ‘extraordinary’ as he put the problems down to a lack of investment in rail infrastructure.

Points failures – which related to faults with moveable pieces of track and the operating equipment that enables trains to change tracks – were the most common cause of cancellations, with no fewer than 442 logged.

While the majority of points failures did not have a cause listed, 93 were put down to problems with heaters not working properly during severe snow and ice.

The second most common cause of cancellations was incidents relating to drivers, which includes issues like driver shortages, coupling issues and sickness.

Other infrastructure-related problems – like third rail defects and technical failures above the solebar – made up a significant number of the cancellations

Want to see more SNP fails? – Health Matters