THE first rail carriages reserved for bikes and outdoor equipment will run on one of Scotland’s busiest tourist lines from next summer,

An extra coach is expected to be coupled to ScotRail trains to ease overcrowding on the West Highland Line between Glasgow, Oban, Fort William and Mallaig. A similar experiment may be tried on lines between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh and Wick.

Transport minister Humza Yousaf said the Scottish Government’s Transport Scotland agency was finalising work with ScotRail to secure five single-carriage class 153 trains. These will be reconfigured to accommodate cyclists and their bikes, and other outdoor sports fans and equipment.