For the first time since 2019, Edinburgh was able to hold its world famous Hogmanay celebrations which meant that once again West End was used as a temporary terminus for trams from the Airport with Princes Street itself closed. Whilst West End has been no stranger to being a terminus during 2022 (whilst York Place stop was demolished it was in use for this purpose earlier in the year) this still allowed for some unusual shots of the trams using the crossover in service.
Trams stopped running between West End and St Andrew Square from 1200 on Friday 30th December and resumed the full route again from 1000 on Sunday 1st January. With next years Hogmanay likely to have seen the extension to Newhaven opened it will be interesting to see whether the 2023/24 service features trams between Newhaven and Picardy Place or St Andrew Square?
The Passenger Information Display at West End reminds passengers of the revised service in operation. This is almost exactly 24 hours after the restricted route had started running.
273 has just arrived from the Airport and has now terminated at West End. All passengers have alighted and it now waits time before departure back.
273 is then seen departing and joining the crossover. Coates Crescent is on the left with the statue of W E Gladstone (1809-1898), the Victorian statesman and four time Liberal Prime Minister. His parents were Scottish.
Here we see 275 at the arrival platform at West End with the blockade to prevent it going any further in front of it. We’re looking back towards Haymarket here with Coates Crescent to the right.
The drivers eye view of the blockade at West End. (All Photographs by Roy Calderwood, 31st December 2022)