Scrapping Edinburgh North-South tramline would entrench poverty in one of city's most disadvantaged communities, warns MP
Tracy Gilbert says failure to back Granton line ‘a dereliction of responsibility by councillors’
Scrapping the northern section of Edinburgh's proposed new tramline between Granton and the Royal Infirmary would entrench poverty in some of Scotland's most disadvantaged communities, the area's MP has warned.
The city's transport committee is expected to give the go-ahead for only the southern leg of the new North-South tramline when the project is debated on Thursday. The SNP and Lib Dems are opposed to the preferred Roseburn Path route between the city centre and Granton and the Conservatives are against the whole project, meaning there is no majority for the northern section.
But Edinburgh North & Leith Labour MP Tracy Gilbert has written to councillors warning that failing to approve the line to Granton would entrench inequality and poverty in North Edinburgh and amount to a “dereliction of duty” by councillors.
She said that residents and businesses in part of her constituency - in and around Leith, Leith Walk and Newhaven - had enjoyed the benefits of the tram since the extension to Newhaven opened in June 2023 and the recent closure of the line between the city centre and Newhaven had shown how much the area depended on the trams.
But other parts of the constituency now risked the prospect of enjoying the same benefits snatched away from them if the northern leg does not go ahead.
She said: "Trams to Granton would directly serve three of the 5 per cent most deprived communities in Scotland and six of the 10 per cent most deprived.
"We are talking about communities that already face significant inequalities, where access to reliable, affordable public transport can open opportunities for training education and employment."
In her detailed letter to councillors, Ms Gilbert sets out the case for North Edinburgh to remain firmly within the city’s transport priorities.
She said the line between the city centre and Granton would improve access to major centres of employment such as Craigleith Retail Park, Leonardos and the Western General Hospital, opening up employment opportunities for residents in Granton, Muirhouse and Pilton.
"A number of major employers in Edinburgh have informed me of the difficulty they have in recruiting people in this area due to the lack of direct public transport connections especially to accommodate shift work."
The tramline would also dramatically improve access to Edinburgh College. And it would give residents in the area the option of using public transport for journeys within the city and to the airport. "At present only one bus route serves these communities and the west to the airport."
And the line would help Edinburgh public transport network cope with the thousands of new homes in the Granton Waterfront development.
Ms Gilbert told councillors: "For the past three decades there has been widespread support for the vision and ambition for trams to run between the city centre and Granton in one form or another.
"Councillors of many groups have championed the route over the past three decades because of the transformative benefits it can have for Granton, Pilton and Muirhouse. The legacy of those councillors is a legacy of ambition.
"Tearing up that ambition would entrench inequality and poverty, particularly in Granton, Muirhouse and Pilton and would be a dereliction of responsibility by councillors."