Tram troubles - your views online

The quality of work on Edinburgh's tram extension is "appalling" and the project risks becoming "another fiasco" like the original tram scheme, says a council source

John Smith

The people of Edinburgh have zero grounds to complain. They voted in councillors that supported the continuation of this project. What’s CEC debt at these days - £2bn?

Renée La Racineuse

Only now it “risks” being another fiasco? The whole tram vanity project has been a complete disgrace and a financial disaster from Day One! Oh, but “lessons have been learned” the council say. What lessons? To keep saying “on time and on budget” when it’s blatantly not true? And why keep delaying Lord Hardie’s enquiry report if there’s nothing to hide?

William Hatton

The contract should have been watertight in regards to costs and timescale. Any overrun or overspend should incur financial penalties. This was a competitive tendered contact and if the winning company put an unrealistically low bid in so they won, then they subsequently say they need more cash or more time then they should be taken to court for breach of contract. The company that had the next best quote might have been more realistic.

Matt Stokes

The SNP's ongoing tram inquiry from the first round of tramworks started in 2014 and is still running. It's now taken longer than the Iraq war inquiry and at £11m it's getting close to passing the Chilcot inquiry's £13m. I guess we'll need an inquiry into the inquiry to figure out why the SNP would rather bury it than learn lessons to prevent a repeat. Hush for indy and all that.

Evan Popplestone

I actually like the trams overall, but the council is just incompetent and makes one botched job after another.

Edward Peters

I think the time it is taking to finish the junction at Salamander Street/Bernard Street junction is an absolute disgrace. Occasionally a couple of men turn up and potter about for a day or so then disappear for weeks at at time. Bernard Street appears to be used as a storage facility for other parts of construction. Is it beyond the technical realms of possibility for the contractor s to finish one section before moving on to the next? At the moment the construction is like a nursery class trying to do a 1000 piece jigsaw with associated temper tantrums.

Smith C Karen

What do they mean 'another' fiasco? It's been an ongoing fiasco which has gone on for too many years already. Its absolutely appalling and unacceptable.

Steve Richer

How on earth was this extension approved before the outcome of the original rrams inquiry (which included someone going in under cover of night and stealing the laptops, remember) was published? How did they know what lessons needed to be learned to ensure this didn’t happen again? Fiasco is the correct word!

Bill Whyte

Here we go again, with the tram completion project looking like it will be late in finishing, and being over budget, and our "new" transport convener saying that all is on track for being on time etc. Different council, same head-in-the-sand attitude.

Seb Blacksmith

This is what happens when people who can't manage their own shoelaces are put in a position of power.

Charles Oxley

Well, it’s not like this should really be a surprise to anyone.

David Fox

How much will it cost us taxpayers for another inquiry?

Steven Grieve

This was never going to end well. They decommissioned the trams before in Edinburgh for a reason.

Royal Mail

Royal Mail is set to scrap Saturday post deliveries as the struggling company said it is losing £1m a day.

Atholl Cunningham

Should have stopped Saturdat deliveries years ago. Would have had less sick absence, had a happier workforce and saved approx 17.5 per cent of costs. However, the union claimed it would have lost jobs so binned the idea. Yet going Monday to Friday could have just had full time employees. Saved jobs and money in the long run.

Lesley Robertson

Mon-Fri would be fine for letters if it was every day! Lucky to get one or two times a week.

Mikie Smith

Maybe it shouldn’t have paid shareholders £400m

Gordon Davie

Just paid out £400m dividend to shareholders but losing money! Some strange accountancy at work here.…

Subscribe

Subscribe at www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/subscriptions