Council agrees business case for extending Edinburgh tram to Leith

Councillors have agreed the outline business case for the tram extension.

The decision is a major step forward for the £165m plan to extend the line into Leith and means the search for a contractor will now get underway.

Councillors will not make a final decision on taking the tram to Newhaven until autumn 2018.

Where will new Edinburgh tram stops be under Leith extension plan?

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “Given the rate of growth forecast for Edinburgh over the coming years, we simply cannot stand still.

“And yet we can’t proceed with work to take trams down to Newhaven unless we’re 100 per cent certain we’ve rigorously scrutinised the business case and taken on board crucial lessons from the first phase.

“Having pored over the Outline Business Case in microscopic detail these past few weeks, including obtaining independent advice on it, I’m confident our project team - which retains key personnel from the team who got the first phase back on track - is now well placed to move on to the next stage and start the procurement process for a contractor.

“We will only make our final decision next autumn once the tendering process has completed and once we’ve consulted an independent assessor on the viability of the proposed construction contracts. We’ll also of course consider any lessons learned from Lord Hardie’s ongoing tram inquiry as we move forward.”