Edinburgh trams: Locals to travel on Trams to Newhaven line for first time after three years of construction

The long-awaited Edinburgh tram extension is up and running

Edinburgh locals can travel on the new Trams to Newhaven line for the first time this afternoon.

Trams will begin operating from 12pm today, June 7, carrying paying passengers from the city centre to Leith and Newhaven. The Trams to Newhaven project was first approved in August 2019, with construction lasting three and a half years - costing Edinburgh Council over £200 million. Council leader Cammy Day told the BBC the opening was a “real landmark moment for Edinburgh”. The extension will connect Leith and Newhaven to the current end of the Edinburgh tram line at York Place, adding eight new stops to the route. These include Picardy Place, McDonald Road, Balfour Street, Foot of the Walk, The Shore, Port of Leith, Ocean Terminal and Newhaven.

It has been 64 years since locals were last able to board a tram to Leith. The original Edinburgh tram system stopped running in 1956.