Wheelchair passenger's late-night drama attempting to change trains at Kirkcaldy

The wheelchair user also failed to get help in time to catch a connecting train despite phoning a call centre.

The drama came as the man, who had travelled from Cheltenham to attend campaign group Railfuture’s annual meeting in Edinburgh on Saturday, was heading to Dundee. He was changing trains in Kirkcaldy after an evening tour with fellow delegates of the new Levenmouth Rail Link.

Railfuture Scotland secretary Jane Ann Liston said when the man found the lifts off and station unstaffed, he saw no obvious way of crossing to the opposite platform.

She said he had then phoned a call centre which had told him it would take 20 minutes to get help - too late for his train.

However, ScotRail said its customer service staff later contacted the passenger and arranged for a taxi to take him to his destination.

Ms Liston, who is also a Fife councillor, said: “This is the sort of horror story that we thought was a thing of the past. What a dreadful impression of Scotland's railway he will take back to England after this experience.

“I have asked ScotRail for an explanation and details of the steps they will take to ensure that this does not happen to any other passenger.”

ScotRail confirmed the station was unstaffed at the time of the incident, when its lifts were closed “for safety reasons”.

However, the train operator said step-free access was available to both the station’s platforms via the main road. It confirmed that the station’s help point, which enables passengers to speak to ScotRail staff for assistance by pressing a button, was out of action.

The firm said: “Unfortunately, it was out of use, and the issue has now been reported and will be fixed.”

Phil Campbell, ScotRail’s customer operations director, said:  “We are very sorry to our customer for their experience. On being alerted to the issue, our customer service staff quickly arranged a taxi to enable them to complete their journey. ScotRail is committed to making sure that our services are as accessible as possible. Our Passenger Assist service is there to provide help to customers who may need it by calling 0800 046 1634.”