A STEVENSTON councillor has this week called for a footbridge to be installed at the train station within the town.

SNP Councillor Davina McTiernan has asked North Ayrshire Council officers to liaise with Network Rail in an attempt to reinstate a pedestrian footbridge at Stevenston railway station.

Cllr McTiernan said: “A footbridge at the station is badly needed. There used to be a bridge there, but it was removed and never replaced when the line was electrified in the early 1980s.”

Cllr McTiernan is aware of strong support for a footbridge from local people, and called on council officials and Network Rail to work together on the issue.

“It is not acceptable that people have to stand, often in the rain, waiting for a train to pass and the barriers to rise,” said the councillor, adding: “Barriers come down at Stevenston when a train arrives at Kilwinning and in the other direction at Ardrossan. That can mean people standing waiting for around 10 minutes. It’s bad enough having to sit and wait if you are driving a car, but for pedestrians it is completely unacceptable.

“I can’t understand why those who represented Stevenston back in the 1980s allowed the bridge to be removed and not replaced. Hopefully, that wrong can be belatedly righted. There is a lot of work to do.”