NEW figures have revealed that North Queensferry remains the worst affected station for stop skipping in Fife. 

Trains missed the stop a total 76 times in 2018 - an average of six times a month. 

However, there has been a huge reduction in instances of trains skipping stops, compared to 2017 when that figure was 235. 

Figures released by the Scottish Greens show that the practice has decreased by an average of 75 per cent across Fife between 2017 and 2018. 

ScotRail were brought under fire for stop skipping last year when the Press called them out for letting an empty train miss stations leaving passengers bewildered as it whizzed past. 

Trains missed their station over 2,000 times in Fife in 2017. Critics accused ScotRail operators Abellio of using the practice to try and make up time on delayed services, to avoid possible fines for poor performance.

The Scottish Greens have called for stop-skipping to be banned in the next ScotRail franchise agreement.

Dunfermline Press: Green MSP Mark Ruskell has welcomed the huge reduction in trains skipping stops in Fife, but said Scotrail now needs to address concerns over cancellations and overcrowded trains.

Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Mark Ruskell said: “These figures show a significant drop in ScotRail trains deliberately missing their stops, which all commuters will welcome.

"I’ve repeatedly raised this in the Scottish Parliament, and in one to one meetings with ScotRail and the Transport Minister, and I’m pleased the pressure has finally paid off.

"It goes to show that the train operators can make substantial improvements when they are called out publicly for delivering a bad service, and raises questions over their claims at the time that stop-skipping was a necessary practice to help them ‘re-set’ the network following delays.

"Overall though, people in Fife still don’t feel like their rail service is reliable or value for money.

"I’m continuing to hear reports of significant cancellations and overcrowding on commuter services, and the promise of extra capacity for the Fife Circle has yet to be delivered.

"Fife commuters pay some of the highest fares in Scotland, so it’s going to take more than just an improvement in stop-skipping for ScotRail to win back the support of the public.

"I’ll be looking for an update on overall cancellations and delays on the Fife network, and will make it clear to ScotRail that if they can improve stop-skipping by 75% they need to do the same for all aspects of the service.”