AN MSP has called for Scotrail to make good on their promises to increase the number of rail carriages available in Fife by the summer.

Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, said “it is time to stop the chaos” of many peak-time trains travelling to Edinburgh with nowhere near enough seats for passengers.

He said: “The present service to rail commuters in Fife who are travelling into Edinburgh is an absolute shambles. I have personal experience of it myself.

“This morning a train arriving at Inverkeithing was 10 minutes late and when it did arrive the guard told the commuters they couldn’t get on as there were already too many people.

"Then when the next train, which was also late arriving at the station, came, we were squeezed in like sardines when we boarded it.

READ MORE: Rail passengers 'packed like sardines' on Fife train to Edinburgh

“This has happened to me before and is a common complaint I am told about by irate constituents. I have had many complaints through the years from constituents in Fife about the problem of ‘short trains.’

“It is high time this outdated practice of using just two or three carriages came to an end and the long-suffering rail commuters in Fife finally get the better service that they deserve. It is time to stop this chaos.”

Following recent talks with Scotrail at a parliamentary briefing, Mr Fraser was told that a new, improved service will be in place in the Kingdom in the summer, offering more carriages and ending the short-running of trains.

He continued: “From my recent discussions with Scotrail they acknowledged that there has been a problem in Fife using ‘short trains.’

"They told me that there were various reasons for this, including how they lost some staff following the pandemic and had fewer trains in service than they needed.

“Scotrail did say they are addressing this issue and have promised that there will be an improvement for Fife rail commuters in the summer, with more carriages being used.

"We have previously heard similar promises that didn’t amount to anything, so I will be keeping a very close eye on this to make sure we do see the end of Scotrail using ‘short trains.’”

READ MORE: MSP slams Transport Minister over packed trains

Scotrail said some services in the Kingdom have been operating with fewer carriages because of reliability issues in the fleet.

David Simpson, service delivery director, previously told the Press: “We know that one of the biggest concerns for our customers is lack of capacity on some trains, and we are sorry to any customers who experience overcrowding on their journey.

“Fife in particular is an area where we are doing everything we can to make improvements and to ensure that we deliver the service that customers expect and deserve.”