Lack of accessibility at our railway stations is a long-running issue for many residents in Kinghorn, Burntisland, Cowdenbeath and too many other stations across Fife. Let’s be clear – this is 2025 and public transport should be easy for everyone to use.

Of the stations in my constituency that are not fully accessible, Burntisland has the greatest annual footfall. Calls for improvements there date back to at least 2017. Thirty years on from the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995, many northbound passengers are still opting to stay on the train to the fully-accessible Kirkcaldy station, changing platforms there and coming back to alight at Burntisland’s southbound platform.

This adds up to a great deal of difficulty for wheelchair users and those with mobility difficulties, as well as carers with pushchairs, and also those with heavy luggage. And it’s not only residents who are being let down; issues like rail inaccessibility and Scottish Government failure to tackle pollution closing Burntisland beach over the summer – which I have written about previously – put up barriers to tourists too.

Soon after my election last year, I met with Network Rail and Transport Minister Simon Lightwood MP to discuss what had to be done to move further down the track towards full accessibility at Burntisland station, and all those requiring accessibility upgrades in our area.

Melanie Ward MP at Burntisland Station (Pic: Submitted)

placeholder image — Melanie Ward MP at Burntisland Station (Pic: Submitted)

Such work will require significant funding but before that can be allocated, we need to know the exact work required and the price of it. The first step in making this happen is for Network Rail to carry out a Feasibility Study; something which has not yet been done.

A Feasibility Study involves Network Rail undertaking a series of site visits to map out the different possible modifications that could make the platform accessible.

In a meeting in June, Network Rail pledged to me that they would finally get on and start the study, and have it completed by the end of summer. But then nothing. I then raised the lack of action directly with the Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander MP, and also in the House of Commons, saying, “Network Rail needs to make this a priority.”

The pressure is working and Network Rail are now getting on with it. They have promised me full details in the next few days. I’ll keep you posted, so watch this space. I won’t stop working for change until it happens.