Dumbarton’s MSP has called for a resolution to the ‘severe disruption’ the continued rail strikes are causing across the country.

Jackie Baillie was speaking ahead of a third day of strike action by members of the RMT union on Saturday in a row over jobs, pay and conditions.

As with the previous stoppages on Tuesday and Thursday, if Saturday's strike goes ahead there will be no trains on any routes to or from Dumbarton, Balloch and Helensburgh.

ScotRail is not directly involved in the RMT dispute, but those who have walked out this week - and who are due to do so again on Saturday - include RMT members working for Network Rail in Scotland in roles such as signalling, engineering and maintenance.

Ms Baillie also asked why ScotRail had not provided extra trains when the rail operator revised its 'temporary' timetable earlier this month - and why there were no replacement bus services being provided to plug the gap.

That timetable is in place as a result of a separate dispute between ScotRail and the ASLEF train drivers' union, whose members are opting not to work overtime or rest days.

She said: “I would urge the employers and trade unions to work together to resolve the dispute. There is no doubt that my constituents have been badly let down by poor rail services for years and have now been completely overlooked when capacity in the emergency timetable was increased by ScotRail.

“Parts of my constituency have been completely cut off and the reduction in services has prevented people from getting to work or forced them to fork out for a taxi they can ill afford during a cost of living crisis.

“It is extremely worrying but, not a surprise, that I have constituents who feel so let down by local rail services that they are now considering uprooting their life and moving to another area better served by public transport.”

Members of the RMT unions are taking industrial action over a dispute over pay.

The latest talks in an effort to end the strike broke down on Wednesday afternoon.

Ms Baillie, who has written to ScotRail outlining her concerns, also called on the Scottish Government to begin recruiting more train drivers with the aim of getting train services operating a normal timetable as quickly as possible.

She added: “In the response I received from David Simpson [ScotRail operations director], he advises that local services are impacted because they do not have enough drivers.  I would therefore urge the Scottish Government to launch a recruitment drive specific to this area which would not only get people into work but would also assist those currently struggling to get from A to B.”

However, Mr Simpson appeared to dispute Ms Baillie’s comments, stating the Covid pandemic had caused a delay in training drivers.

He said: "The training of new drivers was significantly affected because of the pandemic and it was right that training was paused to ensure everyone’s safety.

“We're sorry to our customers for the disruption they have been facing as a result of the reduction in services due to the temporary timetable in place, and we share their frustration.

"We are hopeful that the pay offer will be accepted and encourage ASLEF members to vote in favour so that we can re-focus our efforts on attracting more people back to the railway as we recover from the impact of the pandemic and deliver for customers.”