ScotRail has issued a statement following public criticism from Bute Pride figure Angie Webb, who said she was left stranded and verbally abused during a disrupted journey from Glasgow to Wemyss Bay earlier this month.
Ms Webb said she was left distressed and angry after her train terminated unexpectedly at Port Glasgow on the evening of Saturday, July 5, forcing her and other passengers to scramble for alternative transport in order to catch the last ferry to Rothesay.
In a complaint to ScotRail, Ms Webb described the situation as a failure in duty of care and alleged she was subject to transphobic abuse and an attempted assault by another passenger during a confrontation over a taxi.
ScotRail has now confirmed that services between Glasgow Central and Wemyss Bay were suspended from around 3.30pm that day while the emergency services attended a tragic incident along the route, which Angie herself noted was ‘a very sad set of circumstances’.
In a statement, Mark Ilderton, ScotRail’s service delivery director, said: “We’re very concerned to learn of the incident this customer has described, and we understand how upsetting and difficult this must have been for them.
“We would strongly encourage them to report it to British Transport Police to investigate.”
Mr Ilderton said rail services continued to operate as far as Port Glasgow, and that arrangements were made for ScotRail tickets to be accepted on selected McGill’s and Stagecoach West bus services along the disrupted stretch of line.
He added: “During this time, we did everything we could to keep customers moving.”
Ms Webb maintains that passengers were given conflicting information on the ground, and that no replacement bus service materialised at Port Glasgow, leaving islanders and vulnerable travellers at risk of missing essential onward connections.
She previously told this newspaper that whatever the cause of the disruption, the response was chaotic and inadequate.
She added: “ScotRail must ensure that when rail services are suspended, there’s a clear and timely plan in place for those of us relying on ferries or travelling alone.”
British Transport Police has confirmed no formal report has yet been made.
ScotRail said the disruption is still under internal review.
