A fresh campaign is being mounted to re-introduce railway stations to two key areas of Ayrshire.
The call comes from South Scotland Conservative List MSP, Sharon Dowey, who claims the Scottish Government should make it one of their top priorities.
Ms Dowey wants to bring back railway stations to Cumnock and Mauchline.
With ScotRail coming into public ownership at the start of this month, Ms Dowey has teamed up with local Scottish Conservatives candidates Neill Watts and Alyson Simmons to unveil their campaign.
The trio believe new stations would ease road congestion, provide greener alternatives for travel, shorten journey times and bring visitors and investment to the two towns.
Both stations closed in 1965.
Think tank Railfuture Scotland claimed that if Cumnock were to re-open, 200,000 people would use this service annually- while 120,000 people would use the service at Mauchline every year.
Ms Dowey said: “By re-opening these stations, the area would have much stronger public transport links with the rest of Scotland. With ScotRail now under Scottish Government control, there’s no excuse to leave Cumnock or Mauchline without a train station.
“Considering the number of road accidents in East Ayrshire, this new station should also be a priority to encourage commuters to ditch their cars.
“We’ve loads of accidents on the A76, some very recently, and they’re often fatal. If commuters leave their cars for the train, there will be fewer cars on the road and far less traffic build-up.
“Rail services also have to be easily accessible for everyone, not just those in the Central Belt. That’s why me and my Scottish Conservative colleagues in East Ayrshire will be pushing the Scottish Government for this train station at every turn.”
Scottish Conservative candidate for Cumnock and New Cumnock, Neill Watts, said: “I’m determined to reduce traffic congestion in Cumnock. It’s time that Cumnock stops being an afterthought for the SNP. That’s why I’ll be pushing for this train station to be opened as soon as possible now that ScotRail is in public ownership.”
Scottish Conservative candidate for Ballochmyle, Alyson Simmons, said: “Towns like Mauchline are always an afterthought for the Scottish Government, and I’m determined to make sure that this isn’t the case for our railway station.”
Transport Scotland said a public consultation on all their draft Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) recommendations is running until April 15 and are encouraging anybody with an interest in how they invest in transport infrastructure to “review these and respond to” the consultation.
A spokesperson added: “This long term strategic plan will still allow for responding to local opportunities or needs as they arise.
“There will be opportunities for regional or local rail projects to come forward, subject to a strong business case being developed and suitable funding being available.”
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