Edinburgh trams: Cracks in concrete at 75 locations along route of extension to Newhaven

Repairs have been carried out at about one third of the locations, but in some cases there has been further cracking since then.

The tramline to Newhaven has been in operation for a year

The news, reported by the Evening News’ sister paper The Scotsman, comes a year after trams began running on the new line between York Place and Newhaven.

The Scotsman quotes a Leith resident, Allan Lloyds, who said he had spotted “widespread damage” to the tramline’s concrete track bed.

He said: “In some areas, the concrete crumbled along the rail before the extension opened. Some of this damage was ‘repaired’ by cutting and drilling bolts into the track bed, and pouring new concrete on top. However, these repairs are now also falling apart, leaving large holes and exposed bolts.”

The repairs are being carried out between 1am and 4am, when the trams are not running. The cost - so far undisclosed - will be borne by Sacyr Farrans Neopul (SFN), the consortium of construction firms which built the extension.

But the city council said there was no safety risk from the cracks and there would be no impact on the tram service.

It confirmed 75 repairs were required in total, with some 25 completed already.

Transport convener Stephen Jenkinson said: “These works and the associated costs are covered under the two year defects liability period and we’re working with the contractor, Sacyr Farrans Neopul (SFN), to resolve these promptly.

“We’ve carried out around 25 repairs to date on these. We’ve been monitoring the repairs and the majority of them have stood up to traffic volumes, but a small number of locations are showing new signs of cracking.

“Depending upon the overall success of some trial repairs that we have undertaken, that solution may be used by the construction contractor to rectify the remaining concrete defects of that nature, in due course.

“I’d emphasise that some cracking is a normal occurrence as part as part of the drying process alongside vibration from tram and vehicle movements. The tram infrastructure is regularly inspected as part of normal business by Edinburgh Trams and the tram infrastructure maintenance contractor.

“I’m incredibly proud of the excellent work that has gone into the Trams to Newhaven project and all the benefits it has brought to our city.”