A GHOST train is running from Edinburgh to Fife with staff members but no passengers.

A Press reader was alarmed when they discovered that between Monday and Thursday, an empty train runs between the capital and Kirkcaldy during the evening.

ScotRail confirmed that at 9.28pm, a 'service' leaves Waverley for Kirkcaldy without any passengers onboard, and doesn't stop at West Fife platforms, including North Queensferry, Inverkeithing, Dalgety Bay and Aberdour.

And while the train operator has started putting on the 9.28pm service for commuters on Friday and Saturday nights, MP Lesley Laird says this isn't enough and has called for "common sense" to be used.

She said: "I'm glad ScotRail has confirmed empty trains running from Fife to Edinburgh are now being filled but the decision to run them empty in the first place defies logic.

“Given the number of people staying in Fife for the Fringe, why only operate on Friday and Saturday nights? They could obviously be used every night of the festival, so just do it.

“Since the winter of 2018, when Fifers were plagued by train cancellations and stop-skipping, I’ve been in regular contact with ScotRail and kept informed of much-needed improvements.

“Services are improving but there’s still a lot more work to be done. In the meantime, some common sense wouldn’t go amiss."

ScotRail are set to monitor demand during the festival and are open to adding an additional service if there is sufficient demand.

A spokesperson said: “We’re adding more seats than ever before for this year’s Edinburgh festivals and that includes Fife, where customers will benefit from 10 per cent more seats than in previous years.

“Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll monitor demand and make any necessary changes to our plans to make sure customers can get where they need to be.”

The Press launched our Crush Hour campaign in November 2017 after being shocked by the state of rail services on the Fife Circle line.

We have since called on ScotRail to stop skipping stations, provide more carriages, provide extra services at rush hour, invest in infrastructure and stop charging West Fifers more than other passengers across the country.