INVERKEITHING has been named the worst-performing rail station in Scotland according to one new survey.

It claims that if you're boarding at the West Fife station, there's a 60.3 per cent chance that your train will be late, making it the seventh worst rail station for punctuality in the whole of the UK as one of Britain’s 500 busiest rail stations.

Data was collected for more than 2,500 stations via a Freedom of Information request to Network Rail from software firm RotaCloud, which has created an online tool on train lateness for England, Scotland and Wales.

The 'Departure Bored' website also showed that Inverkeithing ranked 311 out of the 2,566 UK station for lateness.

Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser said the data underlined how "short-changed" Inverkeithing rail commuters are.

However, both Transport Scotland and ScotRail say the figures don’t reflect accurately how train performance is measured.

Mr Fraser, who represents Mid Scotland and Fife, said: "These statistics are pretty shocking.

"It is embarrassing that Inverkeithing rail station was found to be the worst-performing station in the whole of Scotland and seventh-worst in the UK in the least punctual category.

"I have raised the matter of late trains and overcrowded carriages at Inverkeithing rail station before at the Scottish Parliament and these latest figures tie-in with previous statistics obtained by the Scottish Conservatives which revealed that rail commuters in Inverkeithing were faced with more than 1,000 cancelled trains due to 'train crew shortages' in just under two years.

"I use the train frequently at Inverkeithing rail station and am alarmed to find out that is has been ranked as the worst-performing station in Scotland by this data.

"It seems yet again that rail commuters at Inverkeithing are being short-changed."

You are can see how likely trains in your area will be late at https://rotacloud.com/departurebored/

Tech company RotaCloud compiled the data as rail delays were affecting its team.

ScotRail report on train punctuality at the end of every four-week period. They say this is how the Scottish Government hold them to account and it is done using the rail industry standard Public Performance Measure (PPM).

The key performance target for the Scottish Government is PPM MAA (Moving Annual Average).

The number of trains running on time across Scotland’s railway has improved for the third consecutive period (January 5-February 2), with 88.4 per cent meeting PPM.

This means that the PPM MAA is 88.5 per cent – staying the name as the previous period when it was at its highest for 19 months.

A ScotRail spokesperson said: “Everyone across Scotland’s railway is working flat-out for our customers and the third consecutive period of improvement for trains running on time is another step forward as we deliver the service they expect and deserve.

“Customer satisfaction has soared, punctuality continues to improve, and we are operating the best new train in Britain.

“It’s a fantastic time to be part of Scotland’s railway as we reap the rewards of unprecedented investment, including £475 million on new and upgraded trains.”

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: "We do not recognise these figures. The latest data not only shows performance is improving but that passenger satisfaction is at its highest levels since Spring 2014.

"This is clear evidence that the remedial action plans, implemented by ScotRail after we demanded improvements, are delivering positive results. Ministers and passengers alike expect this trend to continue as it is important ScotRail not only meets customer expectations but strives to exceed them.”