Its getting closer! The start of services on Edinburgh’s Trams to Newhaven project is edging closer after it was announced that the full timetable will now be in operation on the extension as from Thursday 18th May. This will see trams operating to normal frequencies on the line as part of the commissioning process to make sure that the planned service can be maintained effectively.
It now means that after trams running from the Airport release their passengers at St Andrew Square, instead of running to York Place and using the crossover to return they are now running onto the extension and through to Newhaven as they will once services begin this spring.
Sarah Singh, Edinburgh Trams Head of Operations, said: “Thanks to the excellent progress made on other key phases of the project, we now need to make sure the new timetable operates as expected. Most customers will hardly notice any difference as trams will continue to serve all stops between the airport and St Andrew Square from every seven minutes throughout the day. We would also like to inform customers that, for testing purposes, our platform information boards, and on-tram displays may show ‘Newhaven’ as the final destination but, until the extended line opens, services will continue to terminate at the St Andrew Square stop.”
Lea Harrison, Managing Director, added: “With over 99% of customer satisfaction, we always pride ourselves on providing a premium service for both residents and tourists alike. Therefore, this latest step in the process reflects just how committed we are to keeping the highest standards once we launch services to Newhaven.”
Timetable testing is the next stage in commissioning the line after daytime driver familiarisation and will finally be followed by enhanced timetable testing which will be the final stage ahead of the start of public services.
It means that trams will be running to Newhaven up to every 7 minutes so its going to be a fairly regular occurrence to see a tram on the extension.
No date for the opening has yet been announced but this now looks as if it shouldn’t be too many more weeks away.
We now know it didn’t start that day – do we know when timetable testing did start?