“My wife and I had been shopping in Edinburgh and were due to get the 21.33 train home to Perth,” said the husband, who would prefer not to be named.

“We got on and were waiting to go, but — with just minutes to go — the train was cancelled due to the non-appearance of a conductor.

“The next train was the 22.33 from Edinburgh to Stirling. That service gets in to Stirling at 23.23 — leaving passengers just six minutes to connect with the Glasgow to Perth train.”

Apparently the explanation given for the cancellation of the 21.33 service left a lot to be desired.

“I got off the train and asked why no conductor had turned up,” the complainer explained.

“I was told he was still in Dundee, so I asked if it was possible to put on a taxi or bus to take us to Perth, but was told there was no chance.”

After trying — unsuccessfully — to track down a duty manager, the husband and wife got on the Stirling train.

“The train was due to leave at 22.33, but it was several minutes late, meaning there was no chance we would be able to connect with the Glasgow to Perth service,” he said.

“I was going to ask the conductor if he could get that train delayed in Stirling for the dozen or so Perth passengers, but no conductor appeared.

“When we got off in Stirling we explained our predicament and were provided with taxis to get us back to Perth.

“All in all a journey which should have taken one and a half hours ended up taking three.”

The frustrated Christmas shopper claims he has been put off train travel following his experiences.

“I have no idea why the 21.33 was cancelled just minutes before it was due to leave — if the conductor was still in Dundee they must have known there was no chance of him being there in time,” he said.

“Also why could Stirling staff get us taxis when staff in Edinburgh claimed it wasn’t possible.

“The Government is always telling us to leave the car at home and take the train, but in my experience the trains are unreliable and expensive. I was slightly annoyed about this to say the least and believe Scotrail should be taken to task.”

When contacted by the Evening Telegraph a spokeswoman for First Scotrail apologised for the inconvenience caused.

“On the day in question there was a points failure in the Thornton area of Fife which caused heavy delays into and out of Edinburgh,” she explained.

“A total of six trains were cancelled. This included the 21.33 as crew were late arriving due to the points failure.

“Staff were attempting to source crew from other services, but were unable to do so and that is why the service was not cancelled until just before departure,” the spokeswoman continued.

“It was unfortunate and we would like to apologise to this passenger for any inconvenience caused.”