Readers' letters: Trams have been an Edinburgh success

I’m more than happy to respond to the points made about the Edinburgh Trams by Alison Bourne (letters, December 23).

When I was council leader I and the council had sufficient confidence in the estimates for the tram project to go ahead with the proposals. Later, Audit Scotland described the systems used in those estimates as ‘robust’.

There are always risks with major projects, but the risks of the trams were significantly less than with the other two major transport projects that the council was involved in, neither of which attracted the criticism of the tram project.

The Edinburgh Airport Rail Link (EARL) was being promoted by the then Scottish Executive and involved tunnelling under Edinburgh Airport.

The Borders Railway, which I also actively supported (and still do), went ahead despite what was the worst business case of any transport project in the UK at that time – and far worse than trams. EARL was obviously cancelled and for what I think were understandable reasons.

The Borders Railway thankfully went ahead despite the risks, but to reduce costs much of the line and infrastructure is single track. Despite such compromises the Borders Railway quickly carried nearly double the number of passengers originally forecast.

Trams have helped deliver billions in investment including helping secure one of the most successful area regenerations anywhere in Scotland in Leith Walk. Trams are also reducing the need for car journeys across west Edinburgh.

I can’t fully explain what happened after I left the council. It was a political and administrative crisis unlike anything we’ve seen before in Edinburgh, but what we do know is that trams have been a success in transporting millions of passengers and in delivering major investment in Edinburgh.

Donald Anderson, Edinburgh

Angus misses a few key points on drugs

The very ambitious SNP leader impatiently in waiting Angus Robertson MSP is right to laud the work of his recently elected colleague, Cllr Finlay Macfarlane, in the drugs space (News, 3 January).

A member of the Scottish Labour Party, party activist and campaigner for drug policy reform, I like many, believe the scourge of drug related deaths here in Scotland is like a boil that must be lanced.

It is a wee disingenuous not to acknowledge, I anticipate for party political reasons, the work too of another young councillor LibDem Euan Davidson who brought forward an amendment in the City Chambers relating to establishing overdose prevention centres.

Mr Roberston attributes to his SNP colleague that he was the driving force behind the imaginative pilot of taxi drivers (Central Taxis) carrying and being trained in the administration of Naloxone. This was an initiative well in train before the May 2022 council elections.

Yet the Scottish Government has failed to effectively and efficiently roll out its availability through community pharm-acies with a lack of training and availability. Show us the money Nicola and Humza.

As a political opponent to many of Cllr Macfarlane's "ambitions" for Scotland I very much hope he and others (and there are encouraging signs) in a spirit of cross party collaboration will get behind a Labour MSP's (Paul Sweeney) overdose prevention centres proposed bill that I understand he will outline consultation responses to this month.

It can be done Mr Robertson if tribal political nonsense is set aside.

Douglas McBean, Edinburgh

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