Murdo has written to ScotRail boss Alex Hynes to ask him when the practice of using only two carriages on Fife trains bound for Edinburgh will end.
He highlighted how this long-running issue is still continuing with irate rail passengers contacting him after another incident of an overcrowded train travelling from Burntisland to the Scottish Capital last weekend.
In his letter to Mr Hynes, Murdo mentions how he boarded a train going from Inverkeithing to Edinburgh earlier this year, that was so overcrowded many passengers could not get on and were left stranded at the platform waiting for the next available train.
Murdo said: “I have had many complaints through the years from constituents about the problem of ‘short trains,’ but despite ScotRail promising the issue would be solved it quite clearly is not. The latest incident occurred on Saturday, December 9, when a constituent boarded a train from Burntisland bound for Edinburgh only to find it was completely overcrowded. He described the situation as being ‘packed in like sardines,’ and said that he was lucky to get on board, with many other people stranded at the platform.
“This train only had three carriages. I raised this issue at a meeting with the former Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth and ScotRail back in March, when the rail company said they planned to use at least four carriages and that the problem of overcrowded trains would be improved by May.
“However, I experienced a similar situation myself back in September on a train travelling from Inverkeithing to Edinburgh and subsequently raised the matter with the First Minister at the Scottish Parliament. Following my question, the First Minister promised that the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity of Scotland would look into this issue.”
Murdo continued: “Rail commuters in Fife bound for Edinburgh are getting a very raw deal here and I can fully understand their anger and frustration at ScotRail continuing to use only two or three carriages on trains travelling to the Capital. This is why I have written to Mr Hynes, Managing Director of ScotRail, to ask him to explain why this practice of using just two or three carriages is still in operation and asking him when the issue will be rectified.”
