Edinburgh tram chiefs will review drainage system

TRANSPORT chiefs are reviewing drainage systems at a flagship new station after trams were suspended due to heavy rainfall.

Edinburghs new Tram Gateway station was closed today due to flooding caused by the heavy rain. Picture; Lisa Ferguson

Flooding at the £41 million Edinburgh Gateway took services off the tracks between Edinburgh Park and Edinburgh Airport for more than 24 hours.

They started running again yesterday lunchtime and bosses said they were confident there would not be a repeat – despite forecasts predicting continued rainfall throughout the weekend and into next week.

But they said water pumps would be on stand-by in case the system again becomes overwhelmed.

A Network Rail spokesman confirmed investigations were under way into the drainage infrastructure at Edinburgh Gateway, which serves as an interchange for trams and trains.

The spokesman said: “We are working closely with Edinburgh Trams and our contractors at Gateway to investigate the cause of Wednesday’s flooding and review the drainage infrastructure at the interchange.”

The train-tram interchange, which is owned by Edinburgh Trams and Network Rail, opened six months ago to help provide new travel options for passengers from Fife and the north, giving them easy access to the Edinburgh tram network and the city’s airport.

After the services started running normally again yesterday, a spokesman for Edinburgh Trams said: “We are closely monitoring the effects of recent rainfall with our partners but as of yet the drainage system is doing its job.

“However, we do have pumps on stand-by should we start to see the system becoming overwhelmed.

“We’re sorry that we’ve not been able to operate full services while we supported the efforts to clear the flooding.

“The reduction in water levels has allowed us to perform an inspection of the area and recommence full route services.

“We’d like to thank our customers for their patience as we worked hard to resolve the incident as quickly as possible.”

The tram network, which has a stop at Murrayfield, has become a key route for passengers travelling to the west of the city for events at the stadium.

Tonight, tens of thousands of people from across the country will be flocking to the venue to watch pop star Robbie Williams perform.

An Edinburgh Trams spokesman said: “We’re keeping a close eye on the situation and we do not see any problems arising from the recent rainfall.

“Therefore, we don’t anticipate any problems for the concert.”

The flooding was caused by a month’s worth of rain falling in just 48 hours in Edinburgh.

Scotland was battered by torrential rain with 85mm falling in the 48 hours between 9am on June 5 and 8am on June 7 compared to the average rainfall of 61mm for the whole of June.

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