Just as well we aren’t uploading this story a few weeks ago or you probably wouldn’t
believe us, but the City of Edinburgh Council are now claiming that the project is running ahead of schedule (well the revised, revised, revised schedule anyway) and trams might be running by the end of 2013 rather than in 2014. It probably goes without saying but we will say it anyway – opposition Councillors in the City have met this idea with derision suggesting there is no chance of this happening.
A recent report from an “independent certifier” has shown that the project is currently some 22 weeks ahead of the current construction schedule and that it is also within the latest budget of £776 million.
Speaking about the report, Cllr Gordon Mackenzie, Transport Convener on the Council,
said: “It shows we are ahead of programme. We have been as far as five months ahead. There is every possibility that the trams will be running early in 2014 and potentially even before that. If we continue at the current rate of progress there is every prospect of getting
even further ahead of schedule, which means an early completion is very much on the cards.”
Cllr Mackenzie thinks there is the potential to shave more time off the project by undertaking testing at the same time as construction work but this idea has not officially been confirmed.
Both the Labour and Conservative leaders on the Council laughed off the suggestions
that the project was running ahead of schedule as they both, and it has to be said they are correct, mentioned the fact that trams should already be running across Edinburgh. Regardless of this it would only be good news if indeed trams were running in the City in 2013.