News - Edinburgh trams
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Themes ScotRail Caledonian MacBrayne Strike Weather RMT Conductors Kyle Line COVID-19 Flooding Edinburgh Trams Fife Ticketing Highland Main Line Cancellations Pitlochry Insch Ullapool Stornoway Kincardine Concessionary rail travel Gourock West Highland Line Children Easter Bridge replacement Northern Ticket examiners Cove Trespass Green Ferguson Marine Far North Line
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Our Easter Scavenger Hunt will launch on Friday 2 April and run to Saturday 10 April.
(Permalink) Easter Edinburgh Trams |
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Taxpayers footed a previously secret legal bill of almost £2 million connected to Edinburgh City Council's defence of their botched tram construction project during the citys tram inquiry, it can be revealed.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams |
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The Scottish Government is to provide a further £7.5 million of emergency funding for Glasgow Subway and Edinburgh Trams in response to the on-going financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This latest emergency funding brings the total light rail support available up to £28.5 million and this will now be in place until the end of June 2021. This funding announcement follows ongoing discussions with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and Edinburgh Trams regarding available resources due to the unprecedented impact that Covid 19 has had on travel demand. (Permalink) Edinburgh Trams Glasgow Subway Scottish Government Strathclyde Partnership for Transport |
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Edinburgh City Council made changes to trams construction contracts that increased the risk of losing taxpayer cash after the bidding process was already completed, it has been revealed.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams |
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To celebrate International Womens Day were learning more about the woman in charge of Trams to Newhaven.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams International Women's Day Newhaven |
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An ambitious decade-long transport plan for Edinburgh - designed to fight climate change, air pollution, congestion and inequality in the city - has been unveiled by council chiefs.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams |
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Plans show a north/south line, running from Granton Harbour and down to either Roseburn or Shandwick Place.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams |
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Council bosses in Edinburgh hope to have completed a new north-south tram line by 2030 and could introduce road tolls as part of a new blueprint to overhaul how people move around the city.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams Toll Roads |
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Revival of two of Edinburghs shelved tram lines has been signalled in a new Scottish Government transport blueprint.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams |
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Scottish Government funding for the long-running inquiry into the Edinburgh tram line fiasco is to be increased because it had been expected to have finished by now.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams  Princes Street [Tram]: An Airport bound Edinburgh tram at the east end of Princes Street during a test run on 11 April 2014 - complete with familiar backdrop. |
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Please find below a summary of additional traffic management arrangements to accommodate site investigations works and utility diversions outside the main area of works.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams |
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Edinburgh City Council is set to grant contract extensions worth a total of £655,000 to consultants working on the trams extension project.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams |
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Construction restart following First Minister's statement on 4 January 2021.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams |
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The Edinburgh Tram Inquiry, which began in June 2014, was inevitable in the aftermath of the catastrophic failures and delay in the delivery of the new line.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams |
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The Scottish Government is to provide a further £8 million of emergency funding for Glasgow Subway and Edinburgh Trams in response to the on-going financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams Glasgow Subway |
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The Trams to Newhaven work sites will shut down between Friday 18 December and Tuesday 5 January,
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams Newhaven |
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Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a medieval woman they believe may have been murdered and dumped in a pit more than 700 years ago - beneath the site of a new tram line to Edinburghs waterfront.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams |
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It's time to welcome back the Itison voucher scheme just in time for Christmas.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams Ticketing |
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Details of changes to the layout of the cycle lane and foot path on Leith Walk during November 2020.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams |
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Newly-laid tracks for Trams to Newhaven project. Work to construct the Trams to Newhaven route is well underway, with the first tracks being laid in Leith. Contractors have begun constructing the 2.91 mile line and are currently working on the sections next to Ocean Terminal and in Tower Street, Leith.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams Newhaven |
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A row has broken out over Edinburgh City Council's tram extension project, after an opposition council leader warned 'we're bust now if we cancel, or we might be really bust in three or four years time if we carry on'.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams  Constitution Street [Tram]: Tramway construction works on Constitution Street in Leith on 16th January 2020. |
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Watch our vlog with Luis, Lead Track Engineer.
We speak to Luis, our Infrastructure and Systems contractor SFNs Lead Rail Engineer, on how the team are currently preparing the rails in advance of track installation. Luis explains how the rails were shipped to the Port of Leith and why SFN prepare rails in this way. (Permalink) Edinburgh Trams Newhaven |
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Trams to Newhaven final business case (FBC) updated to take into account the effect of COVID-19.
(Permalink) COVID-19 Edinburgh Trams Newhaven |
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'A tram line across the Forth Road Bridge connecting into the Edinburgh bus and tram network would make commuting by public transport possible for so many more people.'
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams Fife |
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From Newhaven to London Road, this film gives a birds-eye view of the project.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams |
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A £4 million funding boost for Edinburgh Trams and the Glasgow Subway has been announced by Transport Scotland.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams Glasgow Subway Transport Scotland |
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This week (28 September - 4 October 2020) the Trams to Newhaven team celebrated Maths Week Scotland, highlighting how different roles within project use maths in everyday work.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams  Constitution Street [Tram]: Looking south along Constitution Street, Leith, at excavation work for the Newhaven extension to the Edinburgh Trams route, on 23 December. |
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Radical proposals to extend Edinburgh's trams over the Firth of Forth and into Fife have been drafted up as part of an infrastructure 'wish list' for the Fife region.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams Fife  Dunfermline Tram Depot: Stagecoach celebrated 100 years of Dunfermline Tram/Bus Depot on 19 May 2018 with an open day. This is the original tram depot, much extended by the bus shed alongside.
 Edinburgh Airport [Tram]: A city bound tram climbs away from Edinburgh Airport on the morning of Sunday 13 July 2014. Long lens shot taken from the platform at Ingliston Park and Ride.  Edinburgh Airport [Tram]: A quiet period at Edinburgh Airport tram terminus on Sunday 13 July 2014 in a picture featuring 4 ticket machines, 3 staff, 2 trams and no passengers. |
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The Scottish Government announced the funding which will last until the end of September.
(Permalink) Covid-19 Edinburgh Trams Glasgow Subway SPT  Balgreen [Tram]: Edinburgh Tram 276 heads towards Balgreen and the city centre on 4 March, passing between Carrickknowe Golf Course and the E & D/Fife main lines.  Broomloan Depot [Subway]: A 3-car Subway train in SPT livery standing at the depot in Govan in April 2008. |
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Finances at Edinburgh City Council have been hit so hard by the coronavirus crisis that it could lead to funding for the tram extension being jeopardised, Edinburgh Conservatives have warned.
The Tories financial spokesman at the City Chambers, Graham Hutchison, warned that the impact of COVID-19 on the finances of Lothian Buses was so great that a £20m dividend from the council-owned bus company, is under serious threat. (Permalink) Covid-19 Edinburgh Trams  Leith Walk: Looking north along Leith Walk on 13th March 2020. The yellow sign warns of the road being closed from 28 March for an unspecified period - for tram works! [[21368]]. The yellow shop front in the cen ...  Leith Walk [Tram]: The new sign for Major Roadworks in Edinburgh in 2007. View north along Leith Walk towards Princes Street on 8 October, with activity underway on the rerouting of gas, electricity and water sup ... |
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Firefighters are preparing in case of an Edinburgh tram disaster by practising lifting one of the 56-tonne vehicles for the first time.
In a training exercise due to be repeated within months, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) used one of the capitals trams to mimic the aftermath of a crash. (Permalink) Edinburgh Trams  Gogar Tram Depot: 'Errr.. excuse me chief, there's a tram coming..!' A Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade training exercise taking place alongside Gogar Tram Depot on 18 February 2015. |
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THE inquiry into Edinburgh's tram fiasco today announced it will begin public hearings in September. Inquiry chair Lord Hardie was appointed in June 2014 to look into what went wrong with the £776 million project. The inquiry team has had to examine millions of documents and has already taken statements from many key players. Today Lord Hardie announced oral hearings would get under way on September 5. The hearings are expected to take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays each week until all evidence is heard, which the inquiry says is likely to be several months.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams |
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Edinburgh's £776m tram network was running at an average of 25% capacity, newly released figures show.
Passenger numbers on the network almost doubled between 2014 and 2015 to 5.3 million, but the services have the potential to carry 21 million people per year. Each tram has a capacity of 250 and the vehicles make a total of 85,000 journeys per year. It means, on average, three-quarters of the space on the network was unfilled. The trams were originally designed to run for 15 miles from Edinburgh Airport to Leith by 2011, at a cost of £375m. But a truncated nine-mile service, stopping in the city centre, opened in 2014, at a cost of £776m - with interest charges expected to push the final bill to about £1bn. (Permalink) Edinburgh Trams  Murrayfield Stadium [Tram]: Edinburgh Tram 260 calls at Murrayfield Stadium with an Airport service on 4 August 2015.  St Andrew Square [Tram]: An Edinburgh Tram about to emerge from South St Andrew Street onto Princes Street on 25 March 2015. The angle gives a perspective on the overall length of these units.  Ingliston Park and Ride [Tram]: 'Oh ...ballast!!!' Three fed up looking would-be passengers just miss a Sunday morning city bound tram leaving Ingliston Park and Ride on 13 July 2014. |
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The inquiry into the Edinburgh trams fiasco could lead to criminal prosecutions, the judge chairing the investigation has said.
Lord Hardie said his inquiry must not rule on, and has no power to determine, a person's civil or criminal liability. But he said: 'that does not mean nobody will be prosecuted as a consequence of their involvement in the project'. The former Lord Advocate is preparing to take evidence from councillors and the public affected by the disruption. He said the inquiry 'is not merely an academic exercise' given City of Edinburgh Council's indications it may extend the line, and said public co-operation was vital to enable him to make recommendations about future projects. (Permalink) Edinburgh Trams  Gyle Centre [Tram]: Crowds eagerly waiting to board trams at Gyle Centre around 10.30am on Saturday 31 May 2014, the first day of public services.  Princes Street [Tram]: Edinburgh Trams progress. Pouring cement on Princes Street, 18 August 2009.
 Princes Street [Tram]: Looking down South St David Street towards Princes Street on 20 September 2008. The cordoned off area, behind which tram works are now well underway, has one official notice displayed alongside an uno ... |
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The cost of the inquiry into the Edinburgh trams fiasco has exceeded £3.7m, BBC Scotland has learned.
The probe is investigating what went wrong with the £776m project which went massively over-budget and was completed five years later than planned. It was established in June 2014 by Alex Salmond, then first minister, who said it would be 'swift and thorough'. A spokesman for the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry said it was making 'good progress'. However they were unable to say when Lord Hardie, who is leading the inquiry, was due to report its findings. (Permalink) Edinburgh Trams |
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Councillors in Edinburgh have agreed the city's tram line should be extended by three miles to reach Newhaven.
The decision to approve the proposal in principle was described as a 'first cautious step' during a meeting in the City Chambers. It follows a council report that recommended extending the current line to Newhaven at a cost of £144.7m. (Permalink) Edinburgh Trams  Murrayfield Stadium [Tram]: Edinburgh tram 254, bound for the Airport, arrives at Murrayfield on a September evening in 2014.  St Andrew Square [Tram]: Edinburgh Tram 260 at St Andrew Square on 12 December 2014. Gogar Tram Depot: 'Errr.. excuse me chief, there's a tram coming..!' A Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade training exercise taking place alongside Gogar Tram Depot on 18 February 2015. |
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The Edinburgh trams inquiry will examine six million documents as part of its investigation into what went wrong with the project. Speaking at the first preliminary hearing, Lord Hardie, who is leading the probe, said it would not determine why the project went ahead. He also said it would not decide if anybody was legally responsible or financially liable.
(Permalink) Edinburgh Trams Murrayfield Stadium [Tram]: Edinburgh tram 254, bound for the Airport, arrives at Murrayfield on a September evening in 2014. St Andrew Square [Tram]: Edinburgh Tram 260 at St Andrew Square on 12 December 2014. Gogar Tram Depot: 'Errr.. excuse me chief, there's a tram coming..!' A Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade training exercise taking place alongside Gogar Tram Depot on 18 February 2015. |
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Edinburgh Trams lost almost £450,000 in 2014 - less than expected due to higher than predicted passenger numbers.
Three million people used the trams, following the launch of the service at the end of May 2014. Bosses estimate it will take three years for the trams to make a profit. (Permalink) Edinburgh Trams Murrayfield Stadium [Tram]: Edinburgh tram 254, bound for the Airport, arrives at Murrayfield on a September evening in 2014. St Andrew Square [Tram]: Edinburgh Tram 260 at St Andrew Square on 12 December 2014. Gogar Tram Depot: 'Errr.. excuse me chief, there's a tram coming..!' A Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade training exercise taking place alongside Gogar Tram Depot on 18 February 2015. |
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The man leading the public inquiry into the Edinburgh trams fiasco has told how key figures refused 'point blank' to co-operate.
In a BBC Scotland interview, Lord Hardie pledged his investigation would be tough and effective. The Scottish government said last month the inquiry was to be given the power to compel witnesses to participate. (Permalink) Edinburgh Trams  Haymarket [Tram]: Utility services excavation works taking place alongside Haymarket station (off picture to the right) in preparation for the section of track to be laid directly ahead along West Maitland Street / Sha ...  Princes Street [Tram]: Tram rails being installed on Princes Street! View looking east on 18 June 2009. Leith Walk [Tram]: The new sign for Major Roadworks in Edinburgh in 2007. View north along Leith Walk towards Princes Street on 8 October, with activity underway on the rerouting of gas, electricity and water sup ... |
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Councillors are set to consider whether the tram network in Edinburgh should be expanded, seven months after the trams began running.
The council is to look at extending the line from the city centre to Leith - part of the original design scrapped when the project ran into trouble. The line currently stops at York Place in the city centre. (Permalink) Edinburgh Trams  York Place [Tram]: The buffer at Edinburgh Trams York Place terminus on 23 September. The road sign in the background points the way for the delayed Leith extension. Leith Walk [Tram]: The new sign for Major Roadworks in Edinburgh in 2007. View north along Leith Walk towards Princes Street on 8 October, with activity underway on the rerouting of gas, electricity and water sup ... |
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The official inquiry into the Edinburgh trams fiasco has been given increased powers, after some of those involved with the project refused to co-operate.
It has been given 'statutory' status by the government in the wake of concerns raised by chairman, Lord Hardie. The government and the inquiry has not named those who would not co-operate. Edinburgh's tram service began running in May but only after six years of disruption and a bitter dispute between the city council and its contractor. The previous Labour-led Scottish government originally earmarked £375m to pay for the tram network, which ended up costing £776m and began running years late (Permalink) Edinburgh Trams  Princes Street [Tram]: Looking back from westbound Tram 266 turning into Princes Street from South St Andrew Street on Saturday 31 May 2014, the first day of public services.  West End - Princes Street [Tram]: View south west along Shandwick Place from Princes Street West End on 12 December 2012 with temporary pedestrian 'bridges' crossing the tramworks at various points. Haymarket station stands in the bac ... Princes Street [Tram]: Tram rails being installed on Princes Street! View looking east on 18 June 2009. |
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Edinburgh's new tram line has carried 1.5 million passengers since services began operating 100 days ago.
Transport for Edinburgh said passenger numbers and revenue levels were 'in line with predictions'. About 130,000 passengers used the trams in the week after their launch. Since then, an average of 90,000 people have travelled by tram each week. (Permalink) Edinburgh Trams  Balgreen [Tram]: A jogger about to overtake an eastbound Edinburgh tram at Balgreen on 8 July 2014. Princes Street [Tram]: Looking back from westbound Tram 266 turning into Princes Street from South St Andrew Street on Saturday 31 May 2014, the first day of public services.  Haymarket [Tram]: Now just a normal part of the day-to-day traffic on the city streets. An Edinburgh tram passes the Haymarket stop on 11 April 2014 during a test run to York Place - without turning a head. |
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