Another major milestone in the much delayed Edinburgh Trams project has been achieved with the handover of the Gogar Depot and Control Centre to the City of Edinburgh Council. The depot is already fully electrified and as reported elsewhere on this site testing has commenced using the trams already delivered.
Cllr Jenny Dawe, Leader of the Council, said: “Looking around the depot, it is clear that we have a world class facility from which to run the tram network. “We are already well into the testing programme and it was a real boost to see the trams in motion along the test track today – a very visible indication of the momentum we have built up over the past few months. There is now much more clarity surrounding the tram project, particularly as we now have a detailed programme of works in place, and I very much hope this continues as
we move toward the final completion date of summer 2014.”
The project has secured approximately 600 jobs with around 500 of these involved in the construction and a further 100 involved in operating and maintaining the network once it is in operation.
One person already employed by Edinburgh Trams is 37 year old Graeme Healy from the City who is the first tram driver (four in total have already been employed. He commented: “I am proud to be able to say that I am the first of the city’s next generation of tram drivers. I did my initial training in Nottingham and will be training the other drivers that come on board throughout 2012, which is something I’m really looking forward to.”
Scottish Government Minister for Housing and Transport, Keith Brown, added: “It is encouraging to see the focus now firmly back on delivery with the first trams moving on the test track. This is an important milestone for the project and demonstrates what has been achieved through the City Council working alongside Transport Scotland and the contractor in the last few months.”