THE number of people using trains from Inverkeithing has increased and is on course to surpass last year's figure.

Between April 1 and August 15, 89,896 passengers were recorded by ScotRail, around 43 per cent of the total amount in the 2022/23 period.

The previous 12 months saw 205,463 people travelling from the station.

With eight "rail periods" still to be counted, ScotRail says the numbers are "encouraging".

David Simpson, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: "It’s great to see an increasing number of people choosing rail as they journey back to their everyday activities.

“These encouraging numbers are a testament to the hard work of our people in delivering a safe, reliable, and green railway.

“Our focus is on building on this success to encourage more people to choose Scotland’s Railway as their low carbon mode of travel.”

The operator credited high-profile events such as the Edinburgh festivals, UCI Cycling World Championships and international rugby at Murrayfield for the increases.

In August alone more than 7.7 million journeys were made across ScotRail's network.

Passenger journeys made between August 1 and August 31 reached 89 per cent of pre-pandemic levels and mark a year-on-year growth of 35 per cent.

Off-peak travel has surpassed pre-pandemic numbers and reached its highest level since 2015 – 4.5 million journeys.

Peak time and commuter travel also saw growth in August, with 3.1 million journeys made – a 31 per cent year-on-year rise.