The passengers forgotten after Ayr Station Hotel fire

Rail users in Stranraer fear they may not see trains return to the tracks after a hotel fire 50 miles away closed the line for six months.

A deliberate blaze closed Ayr railway station in September, and people who use the Stranraer route say they have been left "feeling forgotten".

The fire ravaged the adjacent derelict station hotel and forced the line to close while the listed building is demolished.

South Ayrshire Council said it was working with ScotRail and other partners to ensure trains can run again "as soon as possible".

The fire brought to a head a long-running saga around Ayr Station Hotel, which was closed and classed as "dangerous" in 2013.

Efforts to deal with the derelict site have been hampered by the absence of its owner, Malaysian businessman Ung Eng Huat, who also goes by the name Sunny Ung.

The council previously stepped in to stop the hotel collapsing when a second dangerous building notice was issued in 2018.

ScotRail reopened some services from Ayr North to Prestwick and Glasgow in November, but plans to re-start southbound services have suffered several delays.

The setbacks for journeys to Stranraer have caused consternation for some people in the town.

National Rail's website recently changed the date for the line reopening, external from mid-April to 2 June.

Jim Heron, chair of the Ayr-Stranraer Trainline Action Group, is critical of the council and ScotRail and feels the slow progress "is creating a crisis".

The 75-year-old said: "We were told it would re-open in January, then March, then April, and now it's the summer.

"Trains from Stranraer to Ayr need to be restarted as quick as possible.

"I'm quite sure the people making the decisions could demolish the hotel walls by the rail line in two weeks."

Mr Heron says the group suggested to ScotRail ways the trains could operate to just south of Ayr, and be cleaned and fuelled elsewhere, but that "there was no interest".

Rebecca Richardson is upset at what she feels is "ongoing inaction" to remedy the situation.

Mrs Richardson's 14-year-old daughter is one of a number of commuters who used the Stranraer to Ayr line for school, and says the impact "has completely disrupted her daily routine".

She contacted South Ayrshire Council, ScotRail, and Dumfries and Galloway Council but said "nobody is taking ownership" of the problem.

She added: "We've had different answers from everybody.

"I'm appalled at how long it's gone on for. The lack of communication is the most frustrating thing. No-one gives us an answer or tells us exactly what's happening.

"Ultimately it comes across as if people don't care about this area of south west Scotland, we feel it's the forgotten part.

"What some don't realise is the people most affected aren't those where the fire happened, but the people south of Ayr. It is hard enough for people in Stranraer even without this."

Joe Lynch fears that the temporary closure of the railway line could become permanent, and added it had been closed for "far too long".

The South Rhins resident said he didn't see any end to the delays and accused operators of "failing to meet any dates they put out".

He is worried it could be "death by a thousand cuts".

ScotRail removed two Class 156 trains from the line in March for maintenance work due to the length of time they had sat idle, which have added to Mr Lynch's worries.

The 65-year-old said: "My concern is the line may never reopen, it could be the case that it closes by default because officially no-one uses it."

More than 40,000 passengers used Stranraer railway station during 2022-23, the highest since Covid, according to official figures.

Before the pandemic the station had a total of 65,000 annual users.

But Mr Lynch feels the rail link to Stranraer has been a forgotten service since the ferries left the town more than a decade ago, and wants to see it upgraded in line with those north of Ayr.

He added: "It's not a great line when it's running, it takes 90 minutes just to get to Ayr, with an average speed of just over 30mph.

"The line north of Ayr is well invested in, there's electric trains, they are fast, frequent, run early and late at night."

Mr Lynch has also been critical of the replacement bus service, after closures on the A77 have seen it suffer 20-mile diversions via Newton Stewart, external, adding a further 30 minutes to journey times.

South Ayrshire Council, ScotRail and Network Rail have been approached about the delays and dissatisfaction experienced by rail users in Stranraer.

The council highlighted its dedicated website page, external for updates, and acknowledged the impact the works are having on rail services.

A spokesperson said: "Works at the former station hotel are continuing.

"We recently reported that we discovered damaged structure in the northern section of the building and that this will unfortunately impact the timeline of our safety works.

"We know this delay is frustrating for rail users and we are working closely with Network Rail and ScotRail to ensure that trains can operate from Ayr Station as soon as possible."

A ScotRail spokesman said it recently received an update from the council that it had nearly completed the safety work at the southern part of the former hotel building.

He added an inspection of the northern section - including the tower - found "badly-burnt floor joists and a severely-damaged wooden support beam, which may need to be removed".

The spokesman said: "There is no update at the moment on the return of train services".

A Network Rail spokesman said that once safety work was complete, it would "be able to inspect our infrastructure and work with ScotRail to reintroduce services as soon as possible".

Dumfries and Galloway Council has also been approached for comment.

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