For the people of Edinburgh, it has seemed an endless nightmare – but it seems that the tram works will finally be cleared from the city’s streets in under five weeks. The aim now is to open the line for test runs on Princes Street before Christmas and the start of passenger services by May at the latest – just three years late and, at £776m, double the original cost.
Edinburgh Trams at Gogar waiting to start running
There’s now a provisional timetable in place. Tram testing between the airport and Edinburgh Park will begin as soon as the 6th of October, though the streets in the centre of town won’t finally be clear of construction work until the 19th.
Route testing from the centre of town to the airport will start early in December with the tram service finally running by the Spring. It had been thought that the Council might confirm a start date for services today but, given the problems in the past, they were reluctant to commit themselves. Nonetheless, May is still ahead of one recent forecast.
However, what it means is that people will start to see trams moving – although at this stage they will only be “ghost trams”. These empty vehicles will run mainly at night as part of the driver training. The date for when the the service will actually start is now expected in January.
Cllr Lesley Hinds says the start date could be brought forward
Transport convenor Councillor Lesley Hinds said that the tram saga was now coming to an end. “Within weeks,” she insisted, “the city centre will be clear of tram works for the first time in six years – the end of the tram project and the beginning of a tram service are clearly in sight. I’m pleased that the end date for the project has been brought forward but I’m very keen for it to be finished even earlier if possible.
“I’ve asked that all of these timeframes are reassessed at the beginning of next year so that any further gains in progress can be factored into our plans. Our target launch is now May 2014 but we’ll bring this forward if we can and we’ll announce a start date for the tram service when we’re 100 per cent sure.”
Keith Brown MSP
Transport Minister
Scotland’s Transport Minister, Keith Brown, stressed that the Scottish Government would “continue to work with the council and the contractor to look at opportunities to bring the programme forward even further where at all possible. This is good news for people and business in Edinburgh and we are all looking forward to a city centre free of road works and major disruption ahead of the busy Christmas period.
“It puts an end to the misleading speculation over recent weeks about when the tram project would be finished and provides much needed clarity to businesses to plan ahead with confidence,” he added.
Before the test runs begin, a safety and awareness campaign will be launched across the city to remind people that trams will be running through the city centre. Last month the council set out plans to create a new organisation, Transport for Edinburgh, to create an integrated transport network for the city.