A MUSSELBURGH councillor has written to rail bosses demanding action to improve the local rail service, which has come under fire in recent months.

Councillor Fraser McAllister, ward member for Musselburgh West, contacted Abellio ScotRail directly after commuters were once again left stranded on the platform at Musselburgh last week because the 8.22am train was too full.

A passenger who did get on the train said it was so jam-packed that someone fainted on it, resulting in the train being cancelled at Waverley Station rather than going on to Haymarket.

The incident sparked outrage amongst councillors and the public, with Michael Veitch, East Lothian Council’s transport spokesman, saying the Edinburgh to North Berwick service was now “at breaking point.”

He has asked that the council make formal representation to ScotRail on the issue and request a meeting with the head of ScotRail Alliance.

Mr McAllister has also written an open letter to Phil Verster, Abellio Scotrail managing director, saying: “Once again hundreds of commuters were late for work.

“Musselburgh is the last station on the North Berwick line before Waverley. Over recent months this frightening experience has become normal. Late trains and cancelled trains, inevitably means already crowded trains are joined by passengers expecting to travel later, and on it goes.

“With respect, you need to get a grip of this situation now before there is a calamity.”

Mr McAllister has called for two platform conductors/ticket issuers for 45 minutes Monday to Friday covering the 8.13am and 8.22am trains to avoid ticket queues at the destinations in Edinburgh, and ensure health and safety.

He added that an extra train was needed to cover the gap between the 8.22am service and the next one at 9.10am, and a second ticket machine was needed which took cash.

Longer term, more trains were needed at peak times, said Mr McAllister, who also requested that the roll-out of smartcard technology be speeded up.

He added: “Passengers can wait 10 minutes in the ticket machine queue at Musselburgh and still not reach it. Inside the carriages no one can move, meaning another five or 10 minutes are wasted at Waverley or Haymarket, queuing a second time for a ticket.

“Most of the working population of East Lothian commute to Edinburgh and beyond. East Lothian is the fastest growing county in Scotland, with 10,000 houses to be built here in the next 10 years. The case for new and restored lines and stations is strong.”

Last week, ScotRail Alliance stated that the arrival of the new electric fleet from autumn 2017 would free up more carriages for use on services that were particularly busy, without reducing capacity elsewhere on the network.

A spokeswoman for ScotRail added: “We’d be happy to meet with Cllr McAllister to discuss his concerns.”