DUMBARTON'S MSP has slammed plans to slash opening hours of the area's rail station ticket offices as "absolutely unacceptable".

ScotRail has launched a consultation over the future of 120 ticket desks at stations across Scotland, including shutting some completely.

The ticket offices at Dumbarton Central, Alexandria, Balloch and Cardross would see significant changes.

Currently, Dumbarton Central's ticket office is open from 6am to midnight, Monday to Saturday. That would change to 6.50am to just 8pm from Monday to Friday. Saturday and Sunday hours would also be cut back.

Alexandria and Balloch face even more drastic changes.

Where Alexandria is currently open until 11.30pm from Monday to Saturday, that would drop to just 6.45am to 9.45am during the week under the proposals.

Balloch, currently open 5.55am to 11.55pm, Monday to Saturday, would be open just 6am to 12.40pm on Monday to Thursday, and 6am to 7pm on Fridays.

Weekend hours would also be substantially reduced.

A full list of the proposed changes to opening hours for ticket offices across Dumbarton and the Vale can be found at the end of this article.

Jackie Baillie MSP said: "This is absolutely unacceptable. My constituents deserve better than a second-rate service which they have experienced for a number of years under the SNP’s watch.

“All of this is happening while fares have risen again this month and routes are being drastically cut back.

“ScotRail are representing this as ‘delivering a better level of service to customers’ which is a gross misrepresentation of the truth. These cuts will hit passengers, threaten jobs and compromise station safety which is vitally important to people in my constituency.

“We won’t get people back on trains by cutting rail services to the bone. That is blatantly clear for anyone to see.

“It is now a matter of months until ScotRail comes into public hands – and the SNP-Green government are laying the groundwork by nodding through one round of cuts after another.

“I am appalled at this proposal and I urge the Scottish Government to intervene and ensure these ridiculous plans don’t go ahead.”

Cardross will only open 7.15am to 9.45am, Monday to Thursday instead of the current 2.15pm. It would be open until 10.15am on Fridays. It would be shut on Saturdays and Sundays.

ScotRail said the changes were necessary because of changing customer habits, such as using online or ticket vending machine options. They said there had been a 50 per cent drop in the use of offices in the past decade.

Proposed opening hours: 

Cardross

Current - 0725-1415 Mon-Sat, closed Sun

Proposed - 0715-0945 Mon-Thu, 0715-1015 Fri, closed Sat & Sun

Dumbarton Central

Current - 0600-0000 Mon-Sat, 0810-2310 Sun

Proposed - 0650-2000 Mon-Fri, 0840-2000 Sat, 0900-1600 Sun

Alexandria 

Current - 0630-2330 Mon-Sat, closed Sun

Proposed - 0645-0945 Mon-Fri, 0915-1445 Sat, closed Sun

Balloch

Current - 0555-2355 Mon-Sat, 0810-2245 Sun

Proposed - 0600-1240 Mon-Thu, 0600-1900 Fri, 0700-1900 Sat, 0900-1630 Sun

Customers can review the proposed changes in full on ScotRail's website.