WEST FIFE councillors are fighting for constituents after ScotRail's new timetable sees services from North Queensferry reduced significantly.

David Barratt and Sarah Neal, SNP councillors for Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay, have highlighted the issues caused by the limited services from North Queensferry to Kirkcaldy after constituents voiced their concerns at their joint drop-in surgery.

Cllr Barratt has also reached out to Nationalist MSP Annabelle Ewing and will be getting in touch with ScotRail, Government ministers and Fife Council officers to raise concerns.

He told the Press: "I've had quite a few constituents get in touch with me about it already, one setting out details about their nightmare journey to Kirkcaldy at the weekend.

"It ultimately left them feeling like there was no point in using public transport across Fife and in future they will go through to Edinburgh instead. It's disadvantaging to the community of North Queensferry and visitors to North Queensferry as well.

"Hopefully, we can encourage a review of it because it is not reflective of what was proposed."

Cllr Neal has also had upset constituents approach her about the new timetable, which has seen services from North Queensferry to Kirkcaldy reduced to just five trains from 5pm onwards. Those looking to return to North Queensferry have little choice, with only seven services from Kirkcaldy. Four trains will call at the village before 9am and the remaining three after 8pm.

She said: "I spoke to two constituents at the surgery in North Queensferry last week and it is going to have a huge effect on their families. One person has a daughter, she goes to Dundee college or university every day and she is going to have to leave much earlier in the morning and it's going to take her an extra 40 minutes to get home because of the delay in changing at different stations.

"Other people were worried about having to change trains in Inverkeithing just to go to the supermarket in Dalgety Bay.

"Another mum said it would affect her taking her three children swimming in Burntisland because they will have to wait on a change of trains when they all have damp hair.

"People have real concerns about the impact it will have on their daily lives, their education, their exercise and their shopping."

Scott Prentice, ScotRail head of business development, said: “The changes made to our proposed timetable were a direct result of feedback from our public consultation.

“Customers told us they wanted journey times to Edinburgh to be as fast as possible, and for services to and from Perth to operate via Kirkcaldy rather than Dunfermline. To achieve this, it unfortunately meant that most services from East Fife to Edinburgh can no longer call at North Queensferry. However, direct journeys between Kirkcaldy and North Queensferry are still available at key times across the day and a good interchange exists at Inverkeithing at other times.

“The way people travel has changed dramatically in the past two years and we fully expect these new travel patterns to evolve further as people adjust to a new normal. That’s why we will keep the number of services under regular review as more customers return to Scotland’s railway and passenger numbers increase.”