A new railway timetable to be introduced in June for Dundee, Perth, Fife, and Leven, has been tailored to take account of suggestions received during a public consultation.

More than 700 responses were received during the consultation, which was held into proposals for improved services between Edinburgh, Fife, the Tayside cities and the reinstatement of train services to Levenmouth.

With an interim timetable to be introduced in June before the full timetable is introduced in 2025, two interim timetable options were put forward for comment and detailed feedback on how well the planned full timetable would meet local travel needs.

Options

• Option A. Two trains per hour from Leven to Edinburgh via Cowdenbeath and Dunfermline by extending existing services. 
• Option B. An hourly service from Leven to Edinburgh via Kirkcaldy, with shorter journey times between Edinburgh and north Fife and Dundee, and more evening services across Fife..

Option B was the overwhelming choice, with 42 percent in favour compared with 22 percent for Option A.

The remaining 36 percent expressed no particular choice, or neither would improve their journey.

Included in the new timetable are services to the new stations at Cameron Bridge and Leven that are part of the new Levenmouth rail link.

Improvements in the new timetable include:

• 36 more services for Kirkcaldy every day.
• Seven additional services for Dunfermline every day.
• An average three minutes shorter journey times from North Fife to Edinburgh.
• 3,000 extra seats in each direction each day between Fife and Edinburgh.  
• Eight per cent more seats from Fife to Edinburgh in the morning peak.
• Twelve per cent more seats from Edinburgh to Fife in the evening peak. 

Included in the planned 2025 improvements is a second train per hour to Leven by extending the Edinburgh to Glenrothes with Thornton via Dunfermline service.

Some good suggestions were received regarding how the 2025 timetable could be further improved, with 59 percent of those responding saying it would have a positive impact on their journey, and 26 percent stated it would have a neutral impact. 

Full details about the consultation can be found by clicking here.

We are delighted that so many people took the time to submit responses in the public consultation and play an active part in helping to decide what future timetables will look like.

ScotRail is absolutely committed to making improvements, and while we know there is some way to go, this phased approach will ensure that we operate a reliable train service across all of Fife when the Levenmouth line reopens.  

Rail travel remains one of the easiest and sustainable ways to get around Scotland, and we will continue to look at ways of making it an even more attractive mode of transport.

Scott Prentice, ScotRail Strategic Planning Director