RAIL passengers are being left at stations in the freezing cold and forced to walk home in darkness due to poor links between arriving trains and connecting buses.

Lochwinnoch is one of the worst affected stations, with some passengers complaining of waiting for hours for buses to their destinations as the transport timetables don’ t match up.

Buses that usually pass through the area are the number 4 and 307, which provides local services around the Lochwinnoch, Howwood and Johnstone areas.

But several Key Coaches services depart shortly before ScotRail-run trains arrive at the station, leaving some commuters waiting up two hours for their link home.

A disabled mum-of-two, who asked not to be named, told how she has found herself and her family struggling to get home as a result of the poor timetable links.

She said: “Because the bus misses the train all the time, I can’t risk getting the train because I know I won’t be able to get home, at least not without severe pain.

“This also means that I can’t go further than Johnstone really which is quite isolating.

“My husband, our two young kids and I have waited for over an hour for a bus from the station but, eventually, he just had to walk them home and I had to wait at the station by myself. This isn’t a big deal to most people but I have anxiety, so I struggle with being alone in public.

“My husband has complained a few times to the bus company but it doesn’t seem to have helped.”

Councillor Andy Doig said the problem had been flagged up and resolved before but, due to a further ScotRail timetable change, had resurfaced.

He added: “I have stressed how important it is to have a synced service and staff at Key Coaches were made aware of how important it is to have this smooth link.

“The people of Lochwinnoch need to commute to Paisley, Johnstone and Glasgow for the likes of work, so it is crucial that this matter is resolved.”

ScotRail insists it keeps local authorities and bus operators informed of timetables to allow them to co-ordinate services where possible but “ultimately don’t have any power over how other operators run their timetables”.

The operator also argued it is easier to flex a bus timetable than a rail timetable to make a connection as ScotRail is more constrained due to the interaction with other rail services and available routes.

A ScotRail Alliance spokeswoman said: “While good onward connections will sometimes be available at Lochwinnoch Station, Johnstone is a better place to change for bus connections due to the more frequent services which stop there.

“Customers are advised to check the best options for their combined rail and bus journeys through Traveline Scotland.”

Key Coaches owner Stevie Forbes, however, argues he is doing the best he can to co-ordinate times but is “unable to please everyone.”

He said: “The problem is that we can’t do everything using one bus. It’s not just people coming off the train that use the bus, people have to travel to the likes of Johnstone to go to work too.

“We can’t make them late by waiting longer for a train to come in, which is sometimes delayed.