A West of Scotland MSP has warned Ayrshire rail travellers will be hit by a move from Avanti West Coast to close its ticket office at Glasgow Central Station.

Scottish Labour MSP Katy Clark urged residents to make their own feelings clear in a live consultation, which has now been extended for another month.

Ms Clark warned the closure would impact residents across the west of Scotland, who must pass through the station to access any trains heading to England.

Avanti is also planning to close ticket office windows at a number of stations south of the border, citing “reduced usage”.

But Ms Clark echoed concerns raised by campaigners, passenger groups and trade unions that the cuts are not cost effective, will decrease access to rail products, make stations more inaccessible for disabled passengers, reduce quality of service, affect passenger safety and ultimately reduce staffing provision.

She said: “Cuts like this could have a dangerous domino effect for passengers in the West of Scotland.

"It will mean fewer staff on hand at Glasgow Central to help passengers transferring to trains heading south, which is bad for accessibility, safety and quality of service.

“It is also counter-productive and could put passengers off purchasing tickets.

"Vending machines cannot substitute for the dedicated advice, expertise and bespoke support that a ticket office staff member can provide. They can tailor their service to meet customers’ needs in a way that machines and online ticketing cannot.

“We have already seen ScotRail slash ticket office opening hours across Scotland over the past year."

Ms Clark continued: "This latest proposal, this time from Avanti West Coast, will only fuel the perception held by vulnerable groups, including disabled passengers, that travelling by rail is not for them."

The company revealed the proposals will see the creation of a new multi-skilled “Customer Ambassador” role to provide advice and support on buying tickets and accessibility needs

Managing Director of Avanti West Coast, Andy Mellors, said: “It is important for the rail industry to change the way it retails tickets as customer behaviour has evolved over the last three decades.

“Our proposals would mean more staff on hand to give face-to-face help with a much wider range of needs, from journey planning, to finding the right ticket and helping those with accessibility needs.

“Our commitment is that we will always treat our people fairly, with support and extra training to move in to new and varied roles with a number of responsibilities without compromising on the safety of them or our customers.

“We also understand that our customers have differing needs which is why we will be consulting with accessibility groups on this consultation.”