Following claims in the media (and also reported here last week) that the dispute between tie and Bilfinger Berger (one of the partners in the consortium to construct the tramway) that the project was to see a 30 month delay, the route will never be fully opened, part of the scheme will be phased in and the contractor is to be axed, Edinburgh Trams have this week released a denial into most of the points.
Because of commercial confidentiality tie are unable to comment on several issues – although they claim they would like to, but have made several responses to the claims.
They have categorically denied that the trams will be delayed until January 2014. The contractor did put forward a proposal that they require an additional 30 months on top of the original 38 month programme of works. This claim was utterly dismissed at a meeting of the Tram Project Board on Wednesday 10th March. A series of external audits have scrutinised the programme and determined that tie are correct in their view of the programme.
There are no plans to truncate the route, according to tie. They remain committed to building the full route between Newhaven and Edinburgh Airport. However, there is denial that there might be a phased opening of the line. Currently they claim it is too early to say whether this will be the case but their aspiration is for trams running as quickly as possible.
A strategy for moving the dispute between tie and Bilfinger Berger was agreed at the Tram Project Board on Wednesday 10th March. It was agreed that the consortium must be held to the contract which they signed and tie will vigorously pursue them to meet the terms of that contract. At the current time tie are still intent on holding the contractor accountable for delivering the project, although the Board have looked at a range of alternatives as well.
Source: Edinburgh Trams