Cancellations on Fife Circle double

The number of cancellations in 2018 was 1,020.

In addition, data compiled by the Scottish Greens shows 2,918 Fife Circle trains were delayed by more than five minutes during the year, and 1,739 on the Edinburgh to Aberdeen service, which calls at Fife stations.

This amounts to 13 delayed trains every DAY in Fife.

Across Scotland, almost 16,500 ScotRail trains were cancelled in 2019.

In response, Green MSP Mark Ruskell said that the Scottish Government must urgently prioritise investment in Scotland’s rail services.

The Mid Scotland and Fife MSP stated: "The huge number of cancellations and delays on Fife’s rail services is totally unacceptable and shows the need for significant investment in rail travel in Scotland.

"Scotland’s antiquated rail network is creaking under the pressure and needs to be maintained and enhanced.

"We’re still waiting for additional rolling stock in Fife to ease the overcrowding that commuters face each day, and more modern trains would help reduce the number of breakdowns and delays on the service.

"The Scottish Government claims that it recognises the climate emergency but it has until now failed to prioritise investment in our railways.

"Communities in Fife deserve a better rail network and better trains. This is an issue that must be addressed urgently by ministers."

In December, the Scottish Government cut short the contract for running Scotland’s railways after years of complaints about the service provided to passengers.

The 10-year franchise with Dutch-owned firm Abellio ScotRail will now end three years early in March 2022 instead of 2025.

Transport Secretary Michael Matheson told MSPs considering continuing the franchise to its full term would not deliver value for money.

The Press' Crush Hour campaign has been calling for an improvement to West Fife train service for the last two years.

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: "We have taken firm action and are seeing performance improvements.

"The number of seats available for passengers in Fife has increased by more than 25,000 per four-week reporting period in the last year.

"Ministers continue to press high-speed train supplier Wabtec to complete their refurbishment programme and this will unlock further capacity improvements in the area.

"ScotRail have been challenged to look at options to maximise use of rolling stock to provide robust capacity for passengers, and from May 2020 more will be cascaded to Fife services.

"We continue to closely monitor ScotRail’s performance via the remedial agreement, which contains initiatives that address performance specifically in Fife as well as across the whole franchise – and ScotRail’s overall performance has been improving.

"Our ongoing investment in electrification and exploring new technologies are key parts of the Programme for Government commitment to decarbonise rail services by 2035."

ScotRail says their most recent period of performance was a 19-month high for trains running on time and the previous period delivered the best autumn for train punctuality in five years.

They continue to claim they have been let down by suppliers of their refurbished high-speed InterCity trains and until they receive full delivery of these trains, customers in Fife won’t feel the full benefit of the redistribution of their Class 170 fleet.

ScotRail also reported a huge increase in customer satisfaction this week.

Nine out of 10 customers are satisfied with the train company, an increase of 10 points since last year, according to a National Rail Passenger Survey.

Transport Focus found that 89 per cent of the 1,200 ScotRail customers surveyed were satisfied with ScotRail.