A ScotRail conductor had to sprint to catch a runaway train from Rosyth.

The early morning loco-hauled service on Monday started to leave the station at around 8am, with the conductor having to run and jump on.

He was able to leap aboard the Edinburgh-bound train while it was moving and an investigation into the incident is now being conducted.

A ScotRail spokesperson said: “We can confirm an operational incident took place on Monday morning, and a full investigation is now underway.”

The Press understands that the train started to move at a slow speed while the conductor was still on the platform.

The train on Monday featured old-fashioned carriages with manually operated “slam” doors, hauled by a separate locomotive.

On such trains, the conductor is supposed to signal to the driver to leave a station using a green flag, rather than by pressing a button on other ScotRail trains.

The train operator is investigating whether a miscommunication between the driver and the conductor caused the incident.

CCTV footage is set to be reviewed.

ScotRail also announced today that the number of trains running on time across Scotland has improved for the third consecutive period.

New figures for the most recent period of performance (January 5 - February 2) show that 88.4 per cent of trains met the rail industry standard public performance measure (PPM) – the highest since October 2019.

Alex Hynes, managing director, said: "Everyone across Scotland’s Railway is working flat out for our customers and the third consecutive period of improvement for trains running on time is another step forward as we deliver the service they expect and deserve."