Murdo has asked the Cabinet Secretary for Transport why there has been no progress in ending the use of ‘short-running’ trains on the Fife to Edinburgh rail line.
He recently raised the issue during a Portfolio Question session on Climate Action, Energy and Transport at the Scottish Parliament.
Murdo has been contacted by irate Fife rail commuters regarding ScotRail using two-carriage trains during the morning peak time between Inverkeithing rail station and Edinburgh.
Speaking during the Portfolio session, Murdo said: “I asked the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress has been made in dealing with the issue of short-formed trains on services between Fife and Edinburgh. The Cabinet Secretary said the Scottish Government are ‘investing in replacing the trains’ in the electrification of this line which will bring significant benefits to the area, but I have been raising this issue for years and the situation never gets better.
“We had short-formed running trains just yesterday on the Fife to Edinburgh service. For years I have been promised that it is going to get better and it never does. I last raised this question on January 16, 2025, and the Cabinet Secretary’s response was more or less word for word what she has just told me. In fact, she said at that point that the situation was ‘not acceptable’ to passengers.
“She is right, it is not acceptable for passengers, so can she please tell my constituents in Fife when it is going to get better?”
Speaking after the Portfolio Question session, Murdo commented: “Once again the Cabinet Secretary trotted out a list of excuses today, ranging from engineering works to work on the electrification of the line, and said that things should improve this May. It has been a long-running saga, and much as I will be delighted to see things get better, I won’t hold my breath.”
