Scores of trains in and out of Glasgow Central were delayed or scrapped because of the signalling fault, which began affecting services at around 8.50am.

The travel misery affected thousands of passengers using railway stations at Paisley Gilmour Street, Paisley St James, Gourock and Wemyss Bay.

The disruption meant commuters returning to work after the weekend were forced to deal with last-minute cancellations and delays.

Some passengers were stranded on platforms in Paisley, Gourock and

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THOUSANDS of commuters faced rush-hour chaos this morning after a major signalling fault hit services in and out of Glasgow's busiest railway station.

Scores of trains in and out of Glasgow Central were delayed or scrapped because of the signalling fault, which began affecting services at around 8.50am.

The travel misery affected thousands of passengers using railway stations at Paisley Gilmour Street, Paisley St James, Gourock and Wemyss Bay.

The disruption meant commuters returning to work after the weekend were forced to deal with last-minute cancellations and delays.

Some passengers were stranded on platforms in Paisley, Gourock and Wemyss Bay for more than an hour.

Buses were laid on by First ScotRail between Port Glasgow, Gourock and Wemyss Bay.

It is not yet clear when services will get back to normal.

One commuter, who was delayed by around 45 minutes said: "Winter hasn't even started yet and we're already having trains delayed.

"If this is a taste of things to come, then I really worry about what service we will get over the next few months."

The signalling fault occurred between Paisley Gilmour Street and Paisley St James.

As the investigation got under way, Network Rail engineers battled to identify and fix the fault.

A First ScotRail spokeswoman said: "We apologise to customers for any inconvenience."

rebecca.gray@ heraldandtimes.co.uk