1.

Proposals  -  March 2003

Routes

The Government agreed, in March 03, to provide £325m funding for tramway routes in Edinburgh.  Two routes are proposed by the Council's arms-length firm, Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE).

These routes are expected to attract respectively 11.6million and 4.2million journeys pa.

Consultation

On 14 May 2003, fuller details of the proposed routes and tram stops were published.  Some points have still to be resolved by public consultation.  In particular, for LINE ONE:

-  Should the trams run along Princes Street of George Street in the centre of Edinburgh.

-  Should the trams run along roads or disused railway lines at Craigleith.

Timescale

The proposal to reintroduce trams to Edinburgh is likely to be the subject of public consultation.  The planning process will require a bill to be passed in Parliament.

The timescale is expected to be:

-  2003:        Consultation ends July.

-  2003:        Submit Private Bill to Parliament by year-end

-  2005-06:  Gain parliamentary approval.

-  2007-09:  Build the tramway.

-  2009:        Commence operation.

Tram Operators

Edinburgh's major bus operators are:

-    Lothian Buses
-    First

Today [5 July 03], both announced their interest in operating the new trams for Edinburgh, probably each wishing to find an existing European tram operator with whom they would submit a bid:

Edinburgh Evening News  5 March 2003, pp.14-15
Edinburgh Evening News  14 May 2003, pp.1,14,15
Edinburgh Evening News  5 July 2003, p 9.

2.

Updates:  September 2003

Tram Routes

Transport Initiative Edinburgh (TIE), following 8 weeks' consultation, announced their proposals for the tram routes on 26 September 03.  These are expected to be submitted to the Scottish Parliament later in 2003.  TIE now hope that work can begin in 2006

The proposals are that both lines will run along Princes Street rather than George Street.

Line 1

Line 1 which will pass through Leith and the new developments at Waterfront will run along the old railway route, now a cycle track, at Craigleith and will not have a stop at the Western General Hospital.

Line 2

Line 2 will  have stops at Murrayfield Stadium, Gyle Center, Edinburgh Airport and the Royal Highland Showground.  The line to Edinburgh Airport will be a spur off the main heading west, rather than be a stop on that line.

This will avoid the need for the line to pass through the Royal Highland Showground and land that might be required for future expansion of the airport.

Maps

Maps of the proposed routes, with a list of all proposed tram stops, were published in the Edinburgh Evening News on 26 September 03.

The Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE) web site displays maps of Line 1 and Line 2, including the options that were considered for each.

Edinburgh Evening News  26 September 2003, pp.4-5

3.

Updates:  October 2003

Still Under Discussion

Line 1

There are still some details of the routes under discussion, including the alignment of the tram route, the road traffic and the pavement along the shore of the Firth of Forth:

-   east of Granton Harbour.  Here Lower Granton Road and the course of the old railway along an embankment, now removed, run beside each other along the shore.

-   west of Newhaven Harbour (to the north of Starbank Park).  This is one of the few sections of the route where trams and other traffic will have to share the road.

[Comments from Transport Initiative Edinburgh:  8 October 2003]

Line 2

UPDATE, Oct 2003:  Line 2 may initially run no further than Edinburgh Airport.  This will leave options open for future development of Edinburgh Airport  [Does this view comes from TIE?]

Line 3

UPDATE, Oct 2003:  A further line is under discussion, though it would not be built until after 2009.  The proposed route is from Central Edinburgh towards Gilmerton in the south-west.  The route would presumably serve Edinburgh's New Royal Infirmary.  Should it run via Kinneard Park and/or Newcraighall?

4.

Updates:  November 2003

Edinburgh City Council has made the following proposals to be considered by its Planning Committee on 4 December.

Haymarket

It is proposed to:

-  create a transport interchange beside Haymarket Station.

-  retain Haymarket Station.

-  demolish the Caledonian Alehouse, beside the station.

-  move the Heart of Midlothian FC War Memorial.

These proposals relate to roads and transport.  Edinburgh City Council's Haymarket Master Plan, looking at the wider aspects of developments at Haymarket has still to be published.

Princes Street

Just one tram stop is proposed for Princes Street  -  to the east of the junction with Frederick Street.

St Andrew Square

It is now proposed that tram lines will run along only the west and east sides of St Andrew Square, rather than along all four sides.

The Council now has funds to spend on the streetscaping of St Andrew Square over the next few years, so improvements are likely to be seen before the trams arrive. 

Leith Walk

It is proposed that the trams and buses will be mainly segregated from other transport in Leith Walk.

Edinburgh Evening News  24 November 2003, p9

5.

Update:  December 2003

Revised Costs

Following a detailed study, costs are now estimated to be:

-  £243m for line 1

- £230m for line 2. 

The total is £93m higher than the sum set aside for this project by the Scottish Parliament. 

It is confirmed that it should be possible to have the trams operating by 2009.

It is hoped that line 3, to run from the centre of Edinburgh to the south-east, will be operating by 2011.  No projected costs are yet available for line 3.

It is proposed to submit detailed proposals for the tram routes to City of Edinburgh Council during the week beginning 8 Dec, and then to the Scottish Executive before Christmas.

Edinburgh Evening News  5 December 2003, p9

6.

Update:  February 2004

Princes Street

Ground-level power supply, rather than overhead cables, is being considered for the proposed tram route along Princes Street, and possibly other short stretches of track, because of concern expressed over the appearance of overhead lines.

The wire-free system uses a third rail which is live only when a tram passes over it.  Such a system is already in use in Bordeaux, France.  It may be considered too expensive to be used for even part of the route in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh Evening News  12 February 2004, p.21.

Princes Street

Earlier Discussions

This is not the first time that this topic has arisen.  When Edinburgh's cable cars were replaced by electric trams over 80 years ago, concern was expressed and the photograph below was created as a montage to show how overhead wires might look.

©

7.

Update:  February 2004

Line 3

Proposals for Line 3 were announced in February 04.  This line is expected to operate from 2011 at the earliest, its cost of £170m being met by income from Edinburgh's congestion charging scheme.  The proposed route is:

Princes Street to Cameron Toll to Edin Royal Infirmary to Newcraighall.

Cameron Toll is a shopping centre about 2 miles south of Princes St. and  Newcraighall is a shopping centre about 4 miles se of Princes St.

The line may be extended further east to Musselburgh.

8.

Update:  April 2005

Lines 1 and 2

Tramline 1 (North Edinburgh loop) and Tramline 2 (to the west) are now close to being fully approved by the Scottish Parliament, so these lines are now expected to be built.

They not dependent on funding from the Congestion Charges, as the Scottish Executive has agreed to provide £375m out of a total estimated cost of £473m for these lines.

Line 3

However, Tramline 3 (to the south-east) is NOT  now likely to go ahead.  It has become a casualty of the decision not to proceed with Edinburgh'  Congestion Charges scheme.

The Edinburgh Evening News lists the following as indicative tram stops that might have been included on Tramline 3, had it been built:

However, the Scottish Executive has refused to step in and provide funding in the foreseeable future towards the total expected total cost of £198m.

Donald Anderson, Leader of the Edinburgh City Council has requested an urgent meeting with the Scottish Executive to discuss this matter.

Edinburgh Evening News:  24 March 2005, p5.and other reports.

9.

Update:  June 2005

Parliamentary Discussions

The Scottish Parliament is currently in the process of hearing objections to the proposed tram routes.  This exercise is likely to take several months.  If approval is granted by the Scottish Parliament, contracts for the building of the lines were expected to be agreed in early-2006.

Funding

However, It became apparent during these parliamentary discussions this week, that Edinburgh Council may not have sufficient funding to agree some of these contracts in early-2006. 

There still is a shortfall of about £100m still to be found (and this figure is likely to increase if there are delays because the substantial funding already offered from the Scottish Executive is not index-linked).

Edinburgh Council had hoped to find significant contributions towards the £100m from levies on developers of property close to the proposed routes, but little has currently been agreed  to date.

Now that the Council's proposals for road charging have been rejected in the recent referendum, this source cannot now be used to bridge the gap.

Timetable

However, a recent report in the press [The Scotsman 15 June 2005,  p.11] suggested that (despite assurances given by transport leader, Councillor Burns,  that lines 1 and 2 are still on schedule to be completed by 2009) priority is now likely to be given initially to only the eastern part of the proposed Line 1 circle.  i.e.

-  the route from Leith (close to Ocean Terminal, via Leith Walk and Princes Street, to Haymarket.

Letters to the Press

There has been ongoing debate in the letters column of the Edinburgh Evening News in recent months over the arguments for and against re-introducing trams to Edinburgh.

10.

Update:  June 2005

Parliamentary Hearings

3 objections withdrawn

Plans for Tramline 1 received a boost this month when: 

-  Forth Ports Authority (developer)

-  Royal Yacht Britannia (visitor attraction) and

-  Ocean Terminal (shopping and entertainment complex)

withdrew their objections to the line.

They will not now be submitting evidence against the line to the Scottish Parliament.

The Parliament will continue to hear evidence from other objectors before proceeding to debate the Bill before it is given Royal Assent (or not) probably around December 2005.

Edinburgh Evening News:  28 June 2005,  p.21

11.

Update:  July 2005

Parliamentary Hearings

2 more objections withdrawn

There was further good news for the promoters of the new tramlines on 13 July 2007 when : 

-  Network Rail (the company that oversees the UK rail network) and

-  The Royal Mail

withdrew their objections to the proposed tramlines, after having discussions with Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE) .

Network Rail had been concerned that the overhead power lines might interfere with the rail signalling equipment.  TIE have agreed to pay the cost of any modification to the rail signalling equipment that become necessary due to such interference.

The Royal Mail had concerns about problems that might arise with the collection and delivery of mail.  TIE have agreed to move 4 post boxes on the proposed tram routes to new locations.

Historic Scotland have also withdrawn their objections to the scheme.

However, community groups, particularly The Friends of the Roseburn Urban Wildlife Corridor, are showing no signs of withdrawing their objections.

Edinburgh Evening News:  13 July 2005,  p.7

12.

Update:  August 2005

Tram Line Three

Land to be protected for 10 years

Transport leader, Councillor Andrew Burns,, confirmed that the city still had aspirations to build Tram Line Three, even though the funds were not currently forthcoming from the Scottish Executive.

The route of Tram Line Three is from Princes Street, via Cameron Toll and the Royal Infirmary to Fort Kinnaird.  Edinburgh Council has announced that it proposes to use the planning process to protect land from any building work on this route until the expiry of its local plan in 2015.

Edinburgh Evening News:  23 August 2005,  p.17

13.

Update:  September 2005

Tram in Princes Street Gardens

Transport Initiative Edinburgh has:

-  arranged for a tram to be displayed in East Princes Street Gardens, in  a tented exhibition area,  beside the Scott Monument from 6 to 23 September 2005.

- produced a set of images showing trams in different locations in Edinburgh in the year 2020 - eleven years after it is proposed to introduce the system to the city.

No decision has yet been made as to whether the trams in Edinburgh would be similar to that on display in Princes Street Gardens.  The model in the gardens was  brought to Edinburgh from Nottingham. 

Transdev, the French company that won the bid to operate Edinburgh's trams also operates Nottingham's trams.

Edinburgh Evening News:  6 September 2005,  pp.6-7

14.

Update:  September 2005

Revised Costs
£539m

The total estimated cost for the proposed tram lines 1 and 2 now amounts to £539m  (an increase of £66m since 2003, mainly due to inflation).

The funding available from the Scottish Executive amounts to £375m.  The Scottish Executive funding is not linked to inflation, so Edinburgh City Council will be left to find the remaining £164m + any further increases due to inflation.

The Council hopes to recover some of this costs from property developers developing new buildings beside the proposed lines.

Edinburgh Evening News:  21 September 2005,  pp. 1,6,7.

15.

Update:  September 2005

Revised Costs
£714m

  ©

Within a week of announcing that the cost of Edinburgh's two tram lines had increased by £66m to £539m, the Edinburgh Evening News announced on 27 September:

- a further increase of £175m (including a new £80m contingency fund) bringing the total cost to £714. 

-  a delay of at leas six month in completing the project, bringing the completion date to summer 2010 at the earliest.

The amount of funding available from the Scottish Executive for this scheme remains at £335m, but TIE is expected to seek further cash from the Scottish Executive.  If no further cash is forthcoming, this will leave a shortfall of £339m.

Edinburgh Evening News:  27 September 2005,  pp. 1,5,12,14,15.

16.

Update:  October 2005

What will be built ... and when?

The financial shortfall of almost £340m may result in parts of Lines One and Two being further delayed.  There is no obvious way in which such a shortfall might be met.  A proposed  congestion charging scheme for Edinburgh was rejected in a poll in 2004 the council has said that it will not introduce a 'tram tax' to fund this shortfall.

Particularly thought to be at risk are:

-  Line One:  Leith to Granton  -  Waterfront section.

-  Line Two:  Edinburgh Airport to Newbridge section.

The council is reported to be considering these options, but has stated that it will not announce any plans to alter the scheme until spring 2006 at the earliest.  In particular, no announcement is to be made until  after the Scottish Parliament has finished debating the current proposals.

Edinburgh Evening News:  1 October 2005,  pp. 1,5

Edinburgh Evening News:  5 October 2005,  p. 8

17.

Update:  October 2005

Evening News
Correspondence

Frequent criticism of the proposed tram lines continues in the pages of the Edinburgh Evening News.  A few supporters of the lines have replied, including the council's arms-length company responsible for delivering the system, TIE, and others.  They have quoted the recent success of the new tram systems in  Nottingham and Dublin.

Tram Stops
Princes Street

The latest objections come from pensioner and disability groups which are concerned about the plans to have only one tram stop in Princes Street - near Castle Street.  Most of the bus services running along Princes Street have 3 or 4 stops in the street.

It is currently proposed that on the Line One circle there will be only 22 tram stops  -  about one tram stop for every three bus stops.

A spokesman for TIE has agreed to further discussion of this subject with interested parties during the design phase of the project.

Edinburgh Evening News:  5 October 2005,  p. 8

Tram Route
Western General Hospital

Scottish MPs have expressed a wish to see Tram Line One re-routed with a stop directly outside the Western General Hospital, rather than stop a 6-minute walk away from the hospital.  This could add another £29m to the cost of the line.  The current estimated cost of this line excluding any re-routing is £634m + £80m contingency fund.

Edinburgh Evening News:  8 October 2005,  p. 5

18.

Update:  October 2005

Expenditure to Date

In response to a question asked under the Freedom of Information Act, the Edinburgh Evening News has discovered the cost incurred to date and budgeted for to end-2005.

The total amounts to £16.5m.  It includes £8.5m technical design and £3.1m legal fees. 

There has been criticism of such high costs before any decision has been made by the Scottish Parliament, but TIE claim that such expenditure has been necessary in order to give sufficient detail of the proposed scheme to the public and to Parliament.

Edinburgh Evening News:  19 October 2005,  p.11

19.

Update:  October 2005

More Objections Withdrawn

As the Bills for the new tramlines approach the end of their Committee stage in the Scottish Parliament, there is more evidence that TIE has negotiated 'deals' with some of the larger companies who originally objected to the plans.

First Scotrail had objected, having concerns over access to the station and disruption during construction at Haymarket.  They have now withdrawn their objections after TIE have given assurances over pedestrian access and offered to build a new road to the station car park.

Other companies that have withdrawn their objections in recent months include Forth Ports, Scottish Water, Jenners, Royal Mail and British Airports Authority.

Edinburgh Evening News:  31 October 2005,  p.17