ScotRail has issued an apology for its failure to communicate short notice changes to the Largs train timetable to people travelling to and from the town.

Up to and including Sunday, July 21, trains to and from Largs will start and terminate at Kilwinning, with passengers having to change there for connecting services to and from Glasgow.

The same change applies to services on the route between Glasgow and Ardrossan Harbour.

The changes were made in order to allow ScotRail to provide extra capacity between Glasgow, Troon and Ayr for the duration of the Open.

ScotRail says the failure to tell people living on the Largs line of the changes was a "genuine mistake" and an "oversight" which it blamed on the complex organising arrangements to get an estimated 25,000 people a day to and from Troon by train.

But it insists it doesn't believe the changes will stop people visiting the town.

The issue was discussed at a meeting of Largs Community Council (LCC) on July 18.

LCC member Jamie Black said: "I feel we are being treated abysmally. We have had excuses of driver training, the fire at Ayr Station, and now this. It is just pathetic.

"They could have come to the community and say that The Open is coming up, and we can't really change it, and let us know in advance, rather than just finding out through social media and searching for the train times on the ScotRail app."

Cunninghame North MSP Kenneth Gibson, who attended LCC's meeting, said he had contacted ScotRail to raise the community's concerns.

He read out a statement from Jim Craig, ScotRail's business correspondence manager, in response to the disquiet from Largs residents.

Mr Craig's response, as read out by Mr Gibson, stated: "There isn't enough capacity on the track to run all the trains we would like to.

"In order to accommodate these extra services, it has been necessary to temporarily withdraw the Glasgow to Largs service at Kilwinning, where customers will have to change on to a service between Ayr and Glasgow Central.

"This is a temporary measure in place between July 18 and 21 and is similar to the service plan for the last Open Championship in Troon in 2016.

"On behalf of ScotRail I apolgise for the fact we did not properly advise the local community. With all the work in planning, the local impact on Largs customers was regrettably missed.

"We expect to carry around 25,000 spectators daily to and from Troon for the golf. This is more than the normal daily demand across Ayrshire

"The Largs and Ardrossan services carry around 9,000 passengers per day, and Ayr 11,000.

"The spectators for the golf are generally travelling in the opposite direction to commuters so there shouldn't be any issue with busy trains. 

"We have also made the interchange at Kilwinning as efficiently as we possibly can."

ScotRail also said that other than Largs trains terminating at, and starting from, Kilwinning, with a relatively quick connection time between Glasgow trains, there were no other major changes to the local timetable, and that Largs was less affected than some other areas.

Mr Craig continued: "The majority of Troon spectators travel before 10am and return between 6pm and 8pm. Outwith those periods there will be plenty of space on trains travelling between Kilwinning and Glasgow.

"We don't believe our timetable will discourage anyone from visiting Largs.

"We apologise again for how we have managed this. It was a genuine mistake due to the volume of change we were handling."

Normal timetables will resume on Monday, July 22.

Scott Prentice, ScotRail's director of strategic planning, who came to town for a meeting of LCC earlier this year, has offered to return to Largs for further discussions on how to improve the local rail service.