In hardly surprising news (tram extension opens and more passengers travel on trams) Edinburgh Trams have announced record breaking passenger numbers on the system. Passenger numbers have more than doubled since the 3 mile extension to Newhaven opened in June 2023 but its not just good news following this opening as numbers had already started to go up before this date.
The second half of 2023 saw over 7 million passenger journeys recorded on the tramway – 3.4 million journeys were recorded for the same period in the previous year.
And the good news doesn’t stop there as in total 9.3 million journeys were taken on the tram in 2023 – which is a 90% increase on the figures from 2022 (4.8 million journeys). Its not just been the Newhaven extension which has helped to increase numbers as back in May 2022 there was the highest daily patronage ever seen thanks to a Harry Styles concert which took place at Murrayfield Stadium.
Lea Harrison, Managing Director of Edinburgh Trams, said: “The completion of the Trams Newhaven project on time and on budget was a remarkable achievement, but the positive impact of the new route on the communities it serves has been equally impressive.
“In June 2023, our ‘Cleaner, better, faster, longer’ launch campaign helped the extended services get off to a flying start, and new stops such as The Shore and Ocean Terminal are now among the busiest on the network.
“We’ve also established partnerships with businesses and attractions along the route, including Royal Yacht Britannia, Port of Leith Distillery and Cruise Forth, which have also helped attract visitors while driving up customer numbers.”
George Lowder, Chief Executive of Transport for Edinburgh, added: “Forming the backbone of an integrated transport network, the expanded tramway is also helping us to meet our target of becoming a Net Zero city by 2030.
“Since the opening of the line, we’ve seen an increasing number of people discover the benefits of public transport and take advantage of a swift, convenient and reliable way to get around our great city for business or leisure.”
The data released also gives a couple of interesting facts – despite the fact that its on the most expensive section of tramway in the UK, Edinburgh Airport was the busiest stop on the network whilst The Shore was the busiest stop on the new route.
Edinburgh Trams are now looking to improve things further with more enhancements planned. This will include final testing of an integrated tap-on, tap-off contactless ticketing system.