A petition has been launched calling for overnight rail services to be put in place to help commuters cope with the closure of the Forth Road Bridge.
With the crossing closed until at least the New Year, ScotRail has introduced more carriages and more early morning trains to try to accommodate the influx of passengers moving from road to rail to get to and from Fife and Edinburgh.
A new 5.52am service from Inverkeithing to Waverley has just been introduced and proved busy as people tried whatever they could to get to work.
But there are now growing calls for services to be extended through the night to help alleviate the continuing transport problems.
A petition calling on the Scottish Government to advise ScotRail to put in place a “robust and efficient new timetable for overnight rail services” has already gained over 1,100 signatures and is being considered by transport chiefs.
“Shift-workers who would usually drive cannot afford the extra time or fuel costs incurred by daily taking the Kincardine route (at least one hour extra journey time, non rush hour),” said Rosaleen Nolan, a Fifer who started the petition.
“They face punishingly long days if going by road, or being stranded if shift patterns mean they are forced to travel outwith present rail timetables.
“We urge ScotRail to put in place an hourly Fife Circle train service to and from Waverley, which would address this issue during anti-social hours.
“For example, an hourly Waverley to Fife service would entail only six more journeys per day (12.19am-5.19am)
“This is an essential step needed to make Scotland’s public transport work for service users rather than for the shareholders.
“Scotland could and should lead the way as a country whose public transport system operates safely and efficiently throughout the night – as a country which responds to national chaos with intelligence and compassion.”