As part of the restrictions imposed in the UK as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic you can go out for a solitary walk each day and whilst for many of us that doesn’t take us near any trams for a lucky few they do still see trams and in this new pictorial series (which will hopefully be a short-lived one!) we take a look at some of the trams they have come across during their Lockdown Walk. We start off in Edinburgh.
As with all UK tramways, Edinburgh Trams introduced a revised and reduced timetable with fewer passengers being carried. Trams were running every 15 minutes throughout the day until Sunday 12th April when a further reduction was introduced in the evening with service frequency down to every 30 minutes.
Please note we are not suggesting anyone should go out to take photos of trams during these restrictions. All images featuring in this series will have been taken as people go out for a walk as part of the permitted daily exercise. Please do not make unnecessary journeys just to have a photography session.
In normal conditions it is a bit of challenge to get a shot of a tram on Princes Street in central Edinburgh with not only other vehicles on the road to contend but also plenty of pedestrians either locals or tourists. But on 30th March there were no such problems to get this shot of 270 as it runs along Princes Street with very few other soles in sight. The tram is running towards York Place as a lone Stagecoach bus is seen in the distance.
This second image shows the Princes Street stop on a very empty road. Mid-morning on a weekday before the pandemic this sort of view would have been un-heard of. (Both Photographs by Roy Calderwood, 30th March 2020)