The 2.8km section of track between Gogar depot and Edinburgh Airport has been handed over to the City of Edinburgh Council following the completion of the programme of testing by the contractors. This becomes the first section of the tramway to now be in the control of the Council and marks yet another key milestone in the much delayed project to return trams to the street of the Scottish capital.
Speaking about the handover, Cllr Lesley Hinds, Transport Convener at the Council, commented: “With the airport to Gogar section now handed over to the Council and good progress being made all along the route, it’s clear to see that the Edinburgh Tram project is heading towards completion. The coming months will see on-street works completed, full line tram testing and driver training along the whole route. It’s a big year for the project and we can push on safe in the knowledge that this first 2.8km section has been successfully completed and is working well. Very good progress being made but there is still some on-street disruption to come and we’re determined to limit this as much as possible. Our team will stay in close contact with residents and businesses so they have the information they need to limit the impact of the remaining works.”
Since November last year the contractors have been undertaking comprehensive testing on the line from the depot to the Airport using trams from the fully delivered fleet of 27 constructed by CAF of Spain. The contractors are now happy that this section of line is as it should be and have handed its control over to the Council – as per the revised schedule.
Keith Brown, Transport Minister, said: “This is further evidence that the project is now making good progress in terms of the revised timetable. The people of Edinburgh and local business community should now be able to plan ahead with confidence and look forward to seeing further evidence of the project coming to fruition over the coming months. Once the construction works are complete the emphasis will quickly move to ensuring that the appropriate tests and checks are run as quickly and effectively as possible so that businesses, residents and visitors can really start to benefit. The trams can deliver not just for the city but also for the rest of Scotland’s transport network. The stop at Edinburgh Airport, refurbished Haymarket Station and Edinburgh Gateway rail-tram interchange will mean improved links and more options for residents and visitors between the rail network, Airport and other key transport hubs.”
It is still planned that the first fare paying passengers will be carried on the line in summer 2014 but it is expected that on street works and overhead installation will be finished by the end of this year. It is then planned that up to six months of comprehensive testing will take place across the system to make sure that everything is ready for when those first passengers are carried. It is still possible that the route may open in sections although it is believed the preferred option is to open the entire route in one go.
Although fare paying passengers are unlikely to be carried on the trams until next summer those community and business groups who have previously asked for a preview trip ahead of the opening will be able to take up the offer from next month. Consideration is also being given to allowing general members of the public access to the trams on the section between Gogar depot and the Airport but no decision has yet been made on this.
The tram project team are due to report to the Council in September to update councillors on the timescales and budget used. It is believed that the project remains within the £776 million revised budget agreed in September 2011.
Despite the positive aspect of this announcement of the handover of the line it is sad that Keith Brown also took the chance to take another swipe at the tram project when interviewed by the Edinburgh Evening News. He said that he doesn’t think there is a clamour for extensions of the line and that the trams still looked “incongruous” in the City. Hopefully his comments will be shown up to be very wrong once the residents of Edinburgh get to know their tram system.
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Gareth – 9/3/13
I suppose that nothing can be done about the illiteracy of this comment, but I am rather shocked that the webmaster has permitted the blatant piece of political nastiness in the final line to go unchallenged!
See comment above regarding this message. To be honest I wasn’t concentrating too much when approving it initially.
It is good news that positive progress is being made to the project. But it indeed puzzling that the word incongruous should be used. Are private cars, taxis, vans, trucks and buses congruous? Surely the streets were designed originally for horse-drawn traffic!
Fantastic news!! I am in Edinburgh in the next few weeks, and I am looking forward to catching a glimpse of the trams operating. Does anyone know of a good spot between Gogar and the airport?