Rail services to and from Ayr station will return to normal on Thursday.

Earlier this year passengers on the west coast faced delays and cancellations after a former hotel at the railway station was deemed unsafe.

An exclusion zone was set up around the privately-owned Station Hotel, which has been closed for several years, which affected services between Glasgow Central and Ayr, Girvan, Stranraer and Kilmarnock.

The successful encapsulation of the building by South Ayrshire Council means ScotRail can now access Ayr Townhead Depot and begin to safely operate trains through the station.

The temporary station facilities and ticket office remain in place, while customers are encouraged to download the ScotRail app for the most up to date train information.

David Lister, ScotRail Alliance sustainability & safety assurance director, said: "We know it has been a challenging time for our customers, so we are really pleased to be able to restore a full service at Ayr.

"South Ayrshire Council, colleagues at ScotRail and Network Rail, and our taskforce partners have done fantastically well to get all services to and from Ayr back to normal in what was an extremely challenging situation."

Bill Reeve, chair of the Ayr Station Taskforce Group, added: "This is welcome news for passengers and the business communities in and around Ayrshire, who can now enjoy the full restoration of longer trains between the town and Glasgow Central as well as fully restored services to Girvan and Stranraer.

"We'd like to thank passengers for their patience during this challenging time, as well as the partners within the taskforce for their commitment to finding a safe solution as quickly as possible."