WEE COUNTY commuters could be facing a further period of rail disruption as ScotRail announce a round of weekend improvement works.

From Saturday, October 22, all weekend services from Clacks to Glasgow Queen Street will be cancelled with replacement buses drafted in to ferry passengers between stops.

Journey times will be extended by around 20 minutes and those leaving Alloa will most likely have to switch buses at Stirling to get to Glasgow.

The alterations will be in place each weekend until at least Sunday, November 20, with possible diversions and delays on November 27.

ScotRail say the disruption is due to the latest phase of upgrade work on Scotland's rail network being carried out.

The group also warned that a queuing system may be in place at key stations.

Jacqueline Taggart, customer experience director with ScotRail, said: "We are going through a massive period of change on Scotland’s railway.

"The work that we are carrying out over the next few months will bring about a revolution in rail – with more and better trains, more services and more seats than ever before.

“However, while we transform the railway, there is inevitably going to be some impact on people’s services.

"We are doing everything we can to minimise this, and to keep people moving. That is why we have set up a new, interactive webpage that helps customers see at a glance what is happening when they wish to travel.

“No one likes having their journey changed. However, this short term disruption will lead to a more reliable, better rail network that will rank amongst the very best.”

ScotRail also claim that the upgrades will include the introduction of new electric trains in the central belt with more services to be added around Scotland.

The operator Abellio has come under increasing pressure recently, with almost 14,000 people signing a petition which demands that Scottish ministers strip the company of their contract if services do not improve.

This follows the release of statistics which show some train services are as likely to be late as they are on time.

However, ScotRail attributed their recent poor performance to the Queen Street tunnel works, which extended journey times between Alloa and Glasgow, and to ongoing industrial action which led to the cancellation of many services in and out of Clackmannanshire.

With regards to the upcoming weekend disruption, interactive timetables have been released to help commuters plan their journeys in advance.

Football fans looking to attend the Scottish League Cup semi final ties at Hampden this month will have to travel to Stirling via replacement bus, grab another bus to Falkirk High and from there catch a train to Queen Street.

Those rugby fans from Clackmannanshire travelling to the Scotland v Australia test at Murrayfield on Saturday, November 12, will also have to take a replacement bus service to Stirling, another bus to Falkirk High and then a train to Edinburgh.

The same also applies to those looking to attend the Scotland v Argentina fixture on Saturday, November 19.

For more information, visit scotrail.co.uk/improvements