Tram turning point not yet signed off

Designs for the point where the tram line will turn at York Place have still not been finalised, it has emerged.

City council chiefs have admitted that, although designs are “97 per cent complete”, more work still has to be done with the construction consortium headed by German firm Bilfinger Berger.

But the cost of the designs has been estimated within the existing projected cost of the project and the council remains confident that the line’s turning point will not add to the overall project budget or timetable.

A city council spokesman said: “As this is part of the overall design of the tram route the cost for this will be included in the final tram project costs.”

Latest estimates suggest that the cost of the project will be £776 million, although when the cost of borrowing is taken into account it amounts to £1 billion.