The project to return trams to the streets of the Scottish capital is still on target for opening in summer 2014 and within the revised £776 million budget according to the latest progress update released this week. In the release the City of Edinburgh Council have promised that in the future they will be completely honest to local residents and businesses how things are progressing – even if this is not always positive.
The report shows that track laying is now progressing at a fairly good pace in certain areas of the City with the first lines laid this week on South St Andrew Street. This area of the City is due to see a partial reopening to traffic in September before a full reopening occurs by the end of 2012.
At Haymarket track laying has yet to commence but this is expected soon with the ground currently being prepared for this with the laying of so-called track slabs. It is planned that the area around Haymarket will be completed in time for a reopening in spring 2013.
Platforms have now been built at the stop at Edinburgh Park station which will be a major interchange between tram and train. Track has yet to be laid but the track slabs are in place so this is expected to take place soon.
Track laying is also well under way over Edinburgh Park viaduct – which was one of the first sections of the tramway to be completed – with Shandwick Place due to start receiving its first sections of track next week. Further track laying progress can also be seen outside Gogar Depot where the initial short test track has already been used by trams, it is eventually planned that a larger test track will be in operation from Gogar to the
Airport.