The much delayed opening of Edinburgh Trams is still on schedule for summer 2014 according to Council officials. An update has just been released which gives details on when various milestones are scheduled to be completed and after the resumption of works earlier this year following the resolving of the issues with the contractor it is believed that everything is going according to the revised plan.
Cllr Gordon Mackenzie, Transport Convener at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “The project has been progressing well since work restarted earlier this year and we are now in a position to look to the future with greater clarity and positivity. We want to share this information with affected businesses, the public and other interested parties so they can have an understanding of just work is left to be done and when we will be going in and completing it. We will be working with businesses and residents who live in the affected areas in advance of and throughout the works to make sure we can deliver this new
service for the city on target for summer 2014.”
The document released by the Council gives the planned completion dates for road closures, traffic management, road/track works and overhead lines and electrification works in various areas as well as details of tram deliveries and the overall commissioning of the line. Of note amongst these are that all trams (presumably all 27) are due to be
delivered by quarter four in 2012 (October-December) and that commissioning and
running in is due to start in quarter four in 2013 and be completed by quarter
three in 2014.
The last of the track works on the line are due to completed by quarter four in 2013 (both York Place and Shandwick Place) with all overhead works completed by quarter one in 2014.
The first area due to be completely finished is Gogar Depot with both the road and track works and overhead lines and electrification work still on schedule for completed by the end of quarter four this year (so within the next few weeks). This will then enable the first trams to venture out of the Depot complex for initial tests.
* Full details of the major milestones for the project are available on the Edinburgh
Trams website.