More passengers than ever before travelled on the Edinburgh Trams system in 2024 according to new figures released by the tram operator. 2024 was the first full year of the Newhaven extension which helped to increase the figures with the year also breaking single day records, thanks in no small part to certain Taylor Swift.
During 2024 over 12 million customer journeys were recorded on the network. Included in this was the busiest ever day (74,000 journeys) during a period when a quarter of a million journeys were recorded during the Taylor Swift concerts. August was also the busiest ever since the network opened with 1.2 million journeys during the world famous festival season.
Lea Harrison, Edinburgh Trams Managing Director, said: “Last year saw a series of remarkable achievements, not least our busiest ever day when more than 74,000 trips were taken onboard our trams. This was part of an astonishing period in June when almost a quarter of a million journeys were recorded during a series of concerts by global superstar Taylor Swift at the Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium. In August, we registered our busiest month of the year, with 1.2 million journeys taken during the city’s world-renowned festival season.”
The 12 million passenger journeys is an increase of three million from 2023 and is 7.3 million higher than 2022 – the last full year before the Newhaven extension opened, somewhat showing that extending the system has had a significant positive impact for the trams.
Anecdotally, its thought that the original line between the Airport and City Centre is also contributing to the increase in passengers. Amongst other reasons, this is thanks to strengthening links between the operator and iconic venues such as Murrayfield and the Royal Highland Showground.
This announcement of the increased passenger numbers comes at the end of an excellent year for Edinburgh Trams. It included award wins as they were named Most Improved System at the Global Light Rail Awards and Operator of the Year at the National Transport Awards.
Lea concluded: “This sustained growth and award success reflects the commitment of the entire Edinburgh Trams team to delivering the very best service for customers, whether they are visiting the city to enjoy its many sights and attractions or rely on us every day for work or leisure. As the network continues to go from strength to strength, we will focus our efforts on further enhancing the customer experience.”