SCOTRAIL boss Alex Hynes is due to appear at a public meeting in Galashiels next week.

Held by the Borders Railway Community Partnership, the managing director will be quizzed on the company’s recent performance on the Tweedbank to Edinburgh line.

The meeting comes just days after Galashiels Community Council said it would write to ScotRail for answers on cancelled services and overcrowding.

At a meeting last Wednesday, community councillor Bill White said: “Would it be possible for us as a community council to put pressure on ScotRail?

“I travel to Edinburgh regularly and recently when I was there, not only were the trains cancelled, but they kept moving platforms so nobody knew where to go.

“When we did eventually get on a train there was about 120-plus people getting off in Galashiels. And that was just in the middle of the afternoon.”

Tom Ingoldsby said he thought a letter should be sent to ScotRail.

He added: “The people of Gala are fed up now. I propose that we write to them to say that we are not happy. I am a great believer of putting things in writing.”

As previously reported, commuters have faced major disruption to services over the past month. And on Friday evening a number of peak-time trains were cancelled in both directions due to staff shortages.

Chairwoman of Galashiels Community Council Judith Cleghorn said: “I will write to ScotRail on behalf of the community council.

“My son gets the 8.10 service from Stow to Eskbank each morning and I have been sending in emails every time a service is cancelled. We were also told the 170 type trains were being cascaded down to the Borders Railway, but when I went to Edinburgh earlier today I got on the old 158s both ways. The Borders Railway Community Partnership has invited Alex Hynes, the managing director of ScotRail, to its AGM Galashiels this month, and this will be a good opportunity to put the questions we have to him.”

The Borders Railway Community Partnership’s Annual General Meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 16, at 4.30pm in the Focus Centre, Livingstone Place, Galashiels.