Edinburgh Tram developments

[A330Alex]

93% of the track has now been laid and all required utility diversions are complete. Recent progress photos:

 

[Vespa]

Interesting when is the projected start date of opening the extension ?

 

[geoffk]

Is the trailing crossover we can see in the third photo (Leith Walk) for emergency use or regular turnbacks?

 

[Avenger20]

Is the trailing crossover we can see in the third photo (Leith Walk) for emergency use or regular turnbacks?

I imagine that it is for use in perturbed working, much in the same way that Edinburgh Park's crossover works. Allows for a truncated service to run down Leith Walk in the event of an incident further down.

 

[Techniquest]

Looks like I will soon have to pencil a visit to Edinburgh! Yes it'll be a while until the new bit opens, but I'm not likely to be up there until Q1 2023 anyway!

 

[InOban]

Interesting when is the projected start date of opening the extension ?

They are still saying that work will be finished before Christmas and after testing will open early in the New Year.

 

[VioletEclipse]

They are still saying that work will be finished before Christmas and after testing will open early in the New Year.

Wow that is quite a surprise.

Last I heard, they weren't going to have it opened until late spring 2023. If that is true that they'll have it open shortly after new year then that's a very positive surprise.

After pretty much two decades of debates, delays, controversy and all of that, if the Newhaven extension were to open earlier then the most recent deadline then that would be a pleasant change for everyone involved.

 

[Perthsaint]

Opening is still scheduled for Spring 2023. It has never been suggested it would be earlier than that.

 

[InOban]

Program update The project remains on schedule for completion by spring 2023 and within the £207.3m budget, with all major construction anticipated to be complete by the end of 2022 ahead of a testing and commissioning period .

Quote from latest newsletter. Depends how long testing and commissioning take.

 

[Perthsaint]

Program update The project remains on schedule for completion by spring 2023 and within the £207.3m budget, with all major construction anticipated to be complete by the end of 2022 ahead of a testing and commissioning period .

Quote from latest newsletter. Depends how long testing and commissioning take.

They'll take until Spring 2023.

 

[geoffk]

I've not been to Leith but this looks like a corridor with a lot of high density housing (unlike most English cities) so there should be plenty of custom for the tram.

 

[92002]

I've not been to Leith but this looks like a corridor with a lot of high density housing (unlike most English cities) so there should be plenty of custom for the tram.

Which is perhaps why they should have built this part first. Instead of duplicating the express bus from the sirport to the city. Same company though being financed and owned by the City Coubcil.

 

[och aye]

The lines to Granton and Royal Infirmary are being looked at by the Council, but will require additional funding from the Scot. Gov. other plans being mooted are a ferry between Newhaven and Kirkcaldy and a feasibility study into fully or partially reopening the Edinburgh South Sub.

Capital could get new tramline, bus lanes and ferry to Fife under new ambitious transport plans

A tramline to the Royal Infirmary, possible reopening of the South Sub railway, more bus lanes to speed journeys to the city centre and potentially even a ferry to Fife are to feature in a public transport plan for Edinburgh to be unveiled later this year.

www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com

Edinburgh public transport action plan: new tramline, more bus lanes, possibly re-opening South Sub and potentially even a ferry to Fife​

The city's minority Labour administration said it was determined to achieve the Capital's 2030 net zero target and prioritise public transport. Council leaders and officials are working on the strategy now and the detailed plans are set to be published on December 2.

Transport convener Scott Arthur said: "This is a key part of our ambition to hit net zero and reduce car use in the city."

New north-south tram route

He said the proposal for a new tramline from Granton in the north into the city centre and on to the infirmary, expected to cost at least £1 billion, would double the capacity of the existing network.

But the council would have to ask the Scottish Government to help fund the project. "It would need support from the Scottish Government to progress so we're keen to work in partnership with them to deliver this investment which is of national importance, and help us meet our shared ambitions."

Councillor Arthur said he understood the government was backing the Clyde metro, a light rail system for the Glasgow area, which is estimated to cost up to £30 billion. "If we're seeing that amount of money going into Glasgow I think we're confident we can make the case for the tram line through Edinburgh, but it is about working in partnership."

He promised consultation on the route and said the optimistic aim was for completion by 2030.

"The initial tram project did have significant problems and because of that people lost faith in investment in trams in Edinburgh, but extending the line to Newhaven has by and large been a successful project and people can now look at what we're doing with a bit more confidence."

Meanwhile, Newhaven could be one end of a new passenger-only ferry route over the Forth to Fife.

Ferry from Newhaven to Kirkcaldy

Councillor Arthur said: "Off the back of the Newhaven line nearing completion there is now interest in a ferry connection across to Kirkcaldy. There have been technical discussions inside the council about this and at the political level I'm in the process of setting up a meeting with Fife Council early next month to look at how we could take this forward."

He said there were a lot of people commuting from Kirkcaldy to Edinburgh by car. "This is about taking some of those cars off the road and getting them to use what would essentially be public transport and connecting with the tramline to get into Edinburgh."
More bus lanes on key routes

The action plan also includes investment in key bus corridors into the Capital, putting in new bus lanes to allow buses to get into the centre more quickly.

"It's about reallocating road space on the arterial routes into Edinburgh to give greater priority to buses, making bus journeys more reliable and encouraging people to use public transport rather than drive."

He hopes the new bus lanes will be in place by 2025.

Reopening South Sub rail line

And the council plans to look again at reviving the South Suburban railway, which connected the city centre with Gorgie, Craiglockhart, South Morningside, Cameron Toll, Craigmillar and Portobello, but closed to passenger services in 1962.

"We're going to look at the feasibility of reopening it wholly or in part." He said previous studies showed overall there was a positive case for it, but the section of the line between Waverley and Haymarket was too congested to take any new services. There have been many calls over the years for the line to be reopened.

Councillor Arthur said: "The administation is absolutely committed to hitting our net zero ambition and reducing car miles by 30 per cent so we're looking at new tram lines, investing in bus corridors and also more speculative ideas like reopening the South Sub and a ferry link to Fife.

"This public transport action plan is a big strategic piece of work which will be subjected to extensive public engagement between December and into the spring.

"These are major projects so it's important people have a say on them as we develop them.

"The tramline alone will be the biggest expansion in public transport we've had this century because it will have more capacity than the line all the way from Newhaven to the aiprort. It's a huge expansion."

 

[kylemore]

Which is perhaps why they should have built this part first. Instead of duplicating the express bus from the sirport to the city. Same company though being financed and owned by the City Coubcil.

Unfortunately the only practical location for the depot was in the west so if they were only going to build half it had to be the western half!

 

[92002]

Unfortunately the only practical location for the depot was in the west so if they were only going to build half it had to be the western half!

Seem to remember an old Railway depot halfway down Leith walk.

Unfortunately the only practical location for the depot was in the west so if they were only going to build half it had to be the western half!

Could have been refurbished or replaced.

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

Seem to remember an old Railway depot halfway down Leith walk.

Could have been refurbished or replaced.

The only practical location was in the West, as it was where the overwhelming majority of unbuilt land was. It’s in the council’s both economic and social interest to build it outside of the main city area as the suburbs (including Leith) have valuable land for housing these days.

 

[fgwrich]

The only practical location was in the West, as it was where the overwhelming majority of unbuilt land was. It’s in the council’s both economic and social interest to build it outside of the main city area as the suburbs (including Leith) have valuable land for housing these days.

Completely agree with you there, the Gogar depot is a lot bigger site which seems to include a loop to test trams on - I cant see any viable space within Leith Walk to be able to do such. And can you imagine how difficult it would be to delver a tram by road to a site in the centre of Edinburgh, compared to the Gogar site.

 

[92002]

Think the railway site is around halfway down Leitb walk on the righthand side. It goes all the way back till it meets the railway. So quite a sizeable place. They even managed to delive by road without any problems. Futher back still has development space. Last time I checked.

 

[Perthsaint]

Think the railway site is around halfway down Leitb walk on the righthand side. It goes all the way back till it meets the railway. So quite a sizeable place. They even managed to delive by road without any problems. Futher back still has development space. Last time I checked.

I'm not sure the flat owners and student accommodation owners would appreciate having their buildings demolished.

The old Leith tram depot is further down but that's having social housing built on it shortly.

 

[Mal]

Will the crossover at York Place be kept for Part Route journeys, does anyone know?

 

[waverley47]

Will the crossover at York Place be kept for Part Route journeys, does anyone know?

It will be, not least because said crossover is currently being used to provide the service to St Andrews Square, and removing it would take a long time, during which period the trams wouldn't serve the city centre.

Better to just leave it and wait till the whole thing is done than removing a piece of infrastructure. If it's unnecessary then plain line it during renewal works, don't bother going and fiddling with existing infrastructure while said infrastructure is being used.

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

I always thought that they made a mistake not having a crossover at every stop in the city centre, but that’s maybe just me.

 

[Vespa]

Crossovers is very useful in any contingencies for any unexpected event.

 

[takno]

I always thought that they made a mistake not having a crossover at every stop in the city centre, but that’s maybe just me.

Skipping one on Princes Street was just silly. Happily there are a lot fewer incidents at the Scott Monument than there have been in the past, but having to terminate at Haymarket because of something happening at York Place seems pretty painful and makes the whole service a bit pointless

 

[Mal]

Skipping one on Princes Street was just silly. Happily there are a lot fewer incidents at the Scott Monument than there have been in the past, but having to terminate at Haymarket because of something happening at York Place seems pretty painful and makes the whole service a bit pointless

Surely you mean at West End?
Having a crossover at each stop, though useful, would have added more time to construction and budget.

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

Surely you mean at West End?
Having a crossover at each stop, though useful, would have added more time to construction and budget.

To me if a job’s worth doing it’s worth doing properly. They did make a mistake on where the crossovers are.

 

[och aye]

I've not been to Leith but this looks like a corridor with a lot of high density housing (unlike most English cities) so there should be plenty of custom for the tram.

This video will give you a bit of perspective of the density along the line works.

 

[kylemore]

Seem to remember an old Railway depot halfway down Leith walk.

Could have been refurbished or replaced.

Modern Tram depots have much more in common with heavy rail depots than the city centre Tramway depots from the early 1900s, so it is extremely unlikely that a practical depot could have been built in the city centre particularly in a denser European style Scottish city centre. Besides the land would be earmarked for residential development. Indeed I wouldn't be surprised if Lothian Buses Central Garage is eventually redeveloped for residential with the outer city depots expanded as required.

 

[Perthsaint]

Modern Tram depots have much more in common with heavy rail depots than the city centre Tramway depots from the early 1900s, so it is extremely unlikely that a practical depot could have been built in the city centre particularly in a denser European style Scottish city centre. Besides the land would be earmarked for residential development. Indeed I wouldn't be surprised if Lothian Buses Central Garage is eventually redeveloped for residential with the outer city depots expanded as required.

Central Garage is B Listed so won't be redeveloped anytime soon.

 

[kylemore]

Central Garage is B Listed so won't be redeveloped anytime soon.

Maybe so.

However there are ways round that and I'm sure that there will be people looking at ways so to do.

I suspect that LB and their owners, both under extreme financial pressure in these inflationary times, would relish realising the value of this asset.

A bit O/T I suppose - but then again maybe not - as part of the PR the Council could claim that part of the sum raised would be allocated to Public Transport including further extension of the Trams.