A LIFE-SAVING defibrillator has been installed at Alexandria train station as part of a nationwide campaign to place them stations across Scotland.

The devices are being put in place thanks to a £54,000 grant by the ScotRail Alliance, a group working to improve the experience of passengers.

Alexandria is one of 19 stations to already benefit from the scheme, alongside the likes of Airdrie, with a further 15 to be installed over the coming months.

Defibrillators can be used by anyone without any specialist training, and are vital to treating cardiac arrest - which is fatal within minutes. In order to have the best chances of survival, someone with cardiac arrest needs CPR, and often a defibrillator used, within two to three minutes of their heart stopping.

Once the rollout is complete all defibrillators will be available at all times, even when the station is closed, and will be kept inside distinctive bright yellow heated cabinets.

David Lister, ScotRail Alliance Sustainability & Safety Assurance Director, said: “I am delighted that we are rolling out these 34 absolutely vital defibrillators to some of the busiest stations on our network, and that the local communities we serve will be able to benefit from them as well.

“In an emergency, a defibrillator can make the difference between life and death, which is why we’ve made sure that they will all be located where anyone can reach them at any time.”