LIGHT RAIL
T Edinburgh Trams back on track
he construction of the Edinburgh Trams project is well
underway with the team charged with delivering the project busy engaging with local residents.
“We now have our first tram vehicle out on display in Princes Street,” says Susan Clark, deputy project director for TIE, the delivery body for Edinburgh Trams.
“It has now been on display on Princes Street for a number of weeks and has attracted over eighty thousand visitors and enjoyed a huge level of support from the people who are coming to see it. People have been very impressed with the standard of the tram itself and have been very supportive of the project overall. This is really good news for us.”
Aside from the tram which is on display, a further 12 of the final 27 trams have now been completed and factory tested, with the final 15 now at various stages of the manufacturing process.
“With regards to the on-street construction aspect of the project, we have completed the track installation on Princes Street, which was completed last November just in time for the Christmas festival, after being closed to traffic for around nine months. However the majority of the construction work which has been going on is off- street, between the airport and Haymarket areas.
“Out at the airport itself we have finished some of the road diversion works at the airport and have installed a new bridge
Oct/Nov 10 Image courtesy T.I.E Limited
Following a series of setbacks the Edinburgh Trams project is back on track. Richard Mackillican spoke to Susan Clark to find out how one of the biggest inner-city infrastructure projects in Scotland is progressing
structure there which was completed at the beginning of this year. Then there are major earth works ongoing between the airport and Ingliston Park and Ride, which is a crucial to working up to installing the sub- structure and track.
“Additionally, this section of the project contains three culverts, which are also all completed, along with one of the larger structures in the project, the Gogarburn bridge, which has also nearly been completed.
“The depot building itself is now over 55 per cent complete, with the fabric of the building up and inside the project has moved into finishing works, with all of the pits dug. Outside the depot a lot of earthworks have been going on to deliver things like drainage and insulation of overhead line bases along with extensive track works outside the depot building.
“As the route comes out of the depot, it passes under the A8,
which is one of the main road arteries coming in the city. This means that the team has to undertake works to a retaining wall structure on the A8, along with building an under bridge. These projects have required some major traffic management, but are progressing very well.”
The route then moves up towards Edinburgh Park where we have the first structure which crosses the main Edinburgh to Glasgow railway line, which is over 95 per cent completed and is getting ready to have the track installed over it.
“Moving on from that structure, there are some significant engineering works taking place at Edinburgh Park railway station where a tram stop will be located. These works have included some road reconstruction and diversion works and are a precursor to a tram stop being fully located there and the track installation work in that area.
“At the other end of the old guided bus way there is now the Carrick Knowe bridge. This is another structure which goes over the railway line, but this one takes the route back towards the north side of the Edinburgh – Glasgow railway line and is progressing well.”
A significant part of the route between Edinburgh Park Station and Carrick is actually made up of the old guided bus route which was the longest of its kind in the UK and was built with the expressed intention of being able to be converted to tram when required.
“The rail installation on the old guided bus route has been completed so it’s well on the way to being converted. Then coming in from Carrick Knowe the route runs very close to the main Edinburgh to Glasgow railway line, where there will be a number of bridges and retaining structures and so there is a lot of preparatory work taking place there.”
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