diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index b075f3c6..bd3b6f98 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@ Modifications by (in alphabetical order):
 * P. Vitt, University of Siegen, Germany
 * A. Voysey, UK Met Office
 
+04/06/2026 PR #509 for #505. Fix truncated syntax error reporting when files
+           have line breaks before the module or program. 
+
 21/04/2026 PR #502. Widen Proc_Decl (R1214) for Fortran 2008 to accept an
            initial-proc-target (R1217) on the right-hand side of ``=>``,
            not only null-init. See J3/10-007r1 §12.4.3.6.
diff --git a/src/fparser/common/readfortran.py b/src/fparser/common/readfortran.py
index bd536832..f8197a77 100644
--- a/src/fparser/common/readfortran.py
+++ b/src/fparser/common/readfortran.py
@@ -141,6 +141,7 @@
 import re
 import sys
 import traceback
+from collections import deque
 from typing import Optional, Tuple
 from io import StringIO
 
@@ -594,7 +595,7 @@ def __init__(
         self.process_directives = process_directives
 
         self.filo_line = []  # used for un-consuming lines.
-        self.fifo_item = []
+        self.fifo_item = deque()
         self.source_lines = []  # source lines cache
 
         self.f2py_comment_lines = []  # line numbers of f2py directives
@@ -825,7 +826,7 @@ def put_item(self, item):
             # of the corresponding reader.
             self.reader.put_item(item)
         else:
-            self.fifo_item.insert(0, item)
+            self.fifo_item.appendleft(item)
 
     # Iterator methods:
 
@@ -930,11 +931,10 @@ def _next(self, ignore_comments=None):
         """
         if ignore_comments is None:
             ignore_comments = self._ignore_comments
-        fifo_item_pop = self.fifo_item.pop
         while 1:
             try:
                 # first empty the FIFO item buffer:
-                item = fifo_item_pop(0)
+                item = self.fifo_item.popleft()
             except IndexError:
                 # construct a new item from source
                 item = self.get_source_item()
@@ -986,8 +986,8 @@ def _next(self, ignore_comments=None):
                         items.append(new_line)
                 items.reverse()
                 for newitem in items:
-                    self.fifo_item.insert(0, newitem)
-                return fifo_item_pop(0)
+                    self.fifo_item.appendleft(newitem)
+                return self.fifo_item.popleft()
         return item
 
     # Interface to returned items:
@@ -1663,7 +1663,7 @@ def get_source_item(self):
         # blank. If it is a comment, it has been pushed onto the
         # fifo_item list.
         try:
-            return self.fifo_item.pop(0)
+            return self.fifo_item.popleft()
         except IndexError:
             # A blank line is represented as an empty comment
             return Comment("", (startlineno, endlineno), self)
diff --git a/src/fparser/one/parsefortran.py b/src/fparser/one/parsefortran.py
index afb6b8c4..3ee86d2d 100644
--- a/src/fparser/one/parsefortran.py
+++ b/src/fparser/one/parsefortran.py
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ def put_item(self, item):
         """
         Pushes the given item to the reader.
         """
-        self.reader.fifo_item.insert(0, item)
+        self.reader.fifo_item.appendleft(item)
         return
 
     def parse(self):
diff --git a/src/fparser/two/Fortran2003.py b/src/fparser/two/Fortran2003.py
index 19ab1171..177b40e4 100644
--- a/src/fparser/two/Fortran2003.py
+++ b/src/fparser/two/Fortran2003.py
@@ -418,13 +418,8 @@ def match(reader):
             # Found a syntax error for this rule. Now look to match
             # (via Main_Program0) with a program containing no program
             # statement as this is optional in Fortran.
-            #
             result = BlockBase.match(Main_Program0, [], None, reader)
-            if not result and comments:
-                # This program only contains comments.
-                return (content,)
-            else:
-                return result
+            return result
         except StopIteration:
             # Reader has no more lines.
             pass
diff --git a/src/fparser/two/tests/fortran2003/test_program_r201.py b/src/fparser/two/tests/fortran2003/test_program_r201.py
index beac0079..7886bef3 100644
--- a/src/fparser/two/tests/fortran2003/test_program_r201.py
+++ b/src/fparser/two/tests/fortran2003/test_program_r201.py
@@ -42,14 +42,12 @@
 from fparser.api import get_reader
 from fparser.two.Fortran2003 import Program
 
-# Test no content or just white space. This is not officially a
-# Fortran rule but fortran compilers tend to accept empty content so
-# we follow their lead.
-
 
 def test_empty_input(f2003_create):
     """Test that empty input or input only containing white space can be
-    parsed succesfully
+    parsed succesfully. This is not valid fortran but it is accepted by
+    compilers and some applications produce it when there is files with
+    preprocessor ifdefs and includes but all resolve to emtpy strings.
 
     """
     for code in ["", "   ", "  \n  \n\n"]:
diff --git a/src/fparser/two/tests/test_comments_and_directives.py b/src/fparser/two/tests/test_comments_and_directives.py
index b7914dec..ff0026b3 100644
--- a/src/fparser/two/tests/test_comments_and_directives.py
+++ b/src/fparser/two/tests/test_comments_and_directives.py
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
 
 import pytest
 from fparser.two.Fortran2003 import Program, Comment, Directive, Subroutine_Subprogram
-from fparser.two.utils import walk
+from fparser.two.utils import walk, FortranSyntaxError
 from fparser.api import get_reader
 
 from fparser.two.parser import ParserFactory
@@ -441,15 +441,11 @@ def test_directive_stmts():
     old = reader.get_item()
     assert old is not None
 
-    out = walk(program, Comment)
-    comments = 0
-    for comment in out:
-        if comment.items[0] != "":
-            comments = comments + 1
-    assert comments == 3
-    assert str(out[1]) == "!$dir inline"
-    assert str(out[3]) == "! A comment!"
-    assert str(out[4]) == "!!$ Another comment"
+    comments = walk(program, Comment)
+    assert len(comments) == 5
+    assert str(comments[1]) == "!$dir inline"
+    assert str(comments[3]) == "! A comment!"
+    assert str(comments[4]) == "!!$ Another comment"
 
     # Check that passing something that isn't a comment into a Directive
     # __new__ call doesn't create a Directive.
@@ -606,3 +602,47 @@ def test_inline_directive_is_comment():
     program = Program(reader)
     out = walk(program, Directive)
     assert len(out) == 0
+
+
+def test_syntax_error_with_comments():
+    """Test that when we keep comments we still correctly give syntax errors
+    when the first line of the file is a blank line."""
+    source = """
+
+
+! This is module m
+
+
+module m
+  integer :: x
+contains
+  subroutine foo()
+    if (.true.)
+      x = 0
+    end if
+  end subroutine
+end module"""
+    reader = get_reader(source, ignore_comments=False)
+    with pytest.raises(FortranSyntaxError) as err:
+        program = Program(reader)
+    assert "at line 11\n" in str(err.value)
+    assert ">>>    if (.true.)\n" in str(err.value)
+
+
+def test_base_to_fortran_empty_comment():
+    """Test that if we have an empty comment we get the correct
+    to_fortran from the base class implementation (i.e. no tab)"""
+    source = """
+    !Comment
+    program test
+    end program
+    """
+    reader = get_reader(source, ignore_comments=False)
+    program = Program(reader)
+    out = walk(program, Comment)
+    comment = out[1]
+    assert comment.tofortran(tab="    ") == "    !Comment"
+    # Change the comment to be an empty comment.
+    comment.items = [""]
+    comment.item = ""
+    assert comment.tofortran(tab="    ") == ""