THE campaign to move the Ardrossan to Brodick ferry service made even more audacious claims this week surrounding Ardrossan’s rail network.

Famed for its three train stations, Ardrossan Harbour, Ardrossan Town and Ardrossan South Beach each offer different stop off points for tourists and locals travelling to Ardrossan and beyond.

‘Choose Troon’ this week claimed that ‘Ardrossan’s other train station is further away than Troon’s railway station to the port’.

It is not clear which other station they are talking about and they also ask if Peel Ports will be providing a shuttle bus to help visitors get to the ferry terminal.

This is redundant as, unlike Troon, Ardrossan has a train station which specifically meets the ferry. Trains which arrive and depart at Ardrossan Harbour are for the sole purpose of taking people to the ferry and towards Glasgow in the other direction, trains which are destined for Largs pass through Ardrossan South Beach and they give people another option should they wish to travel to Ardrossan for any other reason.

ABP have pledged a 30-year contract to provide a free bus service to take train passengers to the ferry terminal but, as it stands, passengers can walk around 100-metres and be on the train to Glasgow and beyond, cutting out the need to the excess journey time and reliance on a bus service.

‘Choose Troon’ also said ‘Not every train arriving in Ardrossan arrives at the ferry port train station’. This is a fact that nobody has claimed and has no relevance to the transport links between Ardrossan and Glasgow.

Cabinet Member for Economy and Communities Alex Gallagher said: “The benefits of having a dedicated train station at Ardrossan Harbour, just a few metres and a short walk from the ferry terminal, are obvious.

“Disembarking from the railway station at Troon, boarding a shuttle bus and transferring to the harbour a mile and a half away would add time, stress and inconvenience to journeys.

“Imagine the experience of a family travelling by train from Glasgow, loaded down with luggage and other paraphernalia, having to queue to stow it in the bus, board the bus then do the whole rigmarole in reverse at the other end. The contrast between this nightmarish scenario and the journey experience at Ardrossan Harbour is incomparable.

“Arran residents who are frequent travellers between the island and the mainland would be equally reluctant to add journey time and inconvenience to their trip. Consider also that Ardrossan Harbour is a terminating station allowing some flexibility for late arrival and departure of the ferry. Troon being a mainline station offers no such flexibility.

“The simple fact is, ease of travel to Ardrossan Harbour by train already exists, whereas ABP would be attempting to patch up deficiencies with inadequate fixes.”

“We believe these are just some of the many advantages Ardrossan has to offer over Troon.”