Edinburgh Trams boss rules out moving trams by road to restore service for Leith
‘We are doing everything possible to keep Edinburgh moving under exceptionally challenging circumstances’ - Willie Hamilton
Edinburgh Trams bosses have ruled out transporting trams by road to bypass Princes Street and restore a service for Leith.
City transport convener Stephen Jenkinson said earlier this week that the idea of loading six trams onto lorries to move them to Newhaven was “under active consideration”. He did, however, warn of “logistical challenges” and “significant” costs.
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Due to the closure of Princes Street following the fire at the former Debenhams store, trams between Newhaven and the city centre have been suspended since July 9. All tram vehicles were in the depot at Gogar at the time of the fire.
Cllr Jenkinson said the more likely path to restoring tram services was waiting for engineers to secure the facade of the fire-hit building, carry out vibration tests, and then move a number of trams slowly past so they could be used between Newhaven and the city centre. The council said on Wednesday it would take at least another three weeks before this could happen.
In an open letter published on social media, Edinburgh Trams’ chief operating officer Willie Hamilton said: “Every available option has been explored to restore tram services to the northern section of the route. Unfortunately, transporting trams by alternative means is not currently a practical solution.
“Trams also require regular cleaning, routine maintenance and secure overnight storage and we do not currently have suitable long-term facilities at Newhaven to support these essential operational requirements.”
Mr Hamilton thanked customers for their “patience, understanding and support”, saying he recognised the disruption had affected thousands of journeys.
He said: “I recognise how frustrating this disruption has been and the impact it has had on our customers, colleagues, city centre businesses and everyone who relies on public transport each day.
“Like many organisations across the city, we have been significantly affected by this disruption and are keen to see services return to normal as soon as possible, particularly as Edinburgh enters its busiest period of the year.
“While Princes Street remains closed to all traffic, we are doing everything possible to keep Edinburgh moving under exceptionally challenging circumstances including deploying all available resources to minimise disruption wherever possible.
“From the outset, our priority has been, and continues to be, the safety of our customers and colleagues.”
And he praised the “outstanding efforts” of staff at both Edinburgh Trams and Lothian Buses.
“Since this incident, teams have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to redesign services, coordinate operations across both networks, introduce ticket acceptance arrangements, provide up to date travel information and support customers throughout a complex and evolving situation. Their professionalism, resilience and commitment has been exceptional.”