Ever since Edinburgh Trams opened in 2014 big events on Princes Street has meant that services from the Airport have been forced to turn short at West End with no trams any further into the city centre. With the extension to Newhaven opening in June it now means that although trams are still unable to run along Princes Street it is possible for a split service to run, and this was in operation to allow the big Hogmanay events to take place in the Scottish capital.
The road closure on Princes Street came into action from 1900 on Saturday 30th December 2023 and remained in place until around 1000 on Monday 1st January 2024. During this time trams were running from Edinburgh Airport to West End and then from Picardy Place to Newhaven. The section between West End and Picardy Place remained closed.
The practice of trams reversing at West End is a longstanding practice and remained as in the past. Trams from the Airport arrived in the usual Newhaven bound platform and after the driver changed ends the tram would depart back towards the Airport, using the crossover to the Haymarket side of the stop to regain the correct track.
At Picardy Place, trams would arrive in the usual citybound platform and terminate. After all passengers had alighted the tram would then move forward towards the city and then use the crossover at York Place to reverse. It was then back to Picardy Place to then start their journey back to Newhaven.
277 pulls into Picardy Place. Whereas it would usually continue its journey from here it would be terminating with the line through the city centre closed.
We then see 277 using the crossover at York Place to get back onto the correct track.
Princes Street tramstop was barriered off during the closure. (All Photographs by Roy Calderwood, 31st December 2023)