Edinburgh Trams
Atram onPrinces Street in May 2014
Overview
Owner	Transport for Edinburgh
Locale	Edinburgh
Transit type	Light rail/Tram
Number of lines	1
Number of stations	23
Annual ridership	10.1 million (2024)[1]
Headquarters	1 Myreton Drive Edinburgh EH12 9GF
Website	edinburghtrams.com
Operation
Began operation	31 May 2014 (2014-05-31)
Operator(s)	Edinburgh Trams Ltd.
Number of vehicles	27CAF Urbos 3
Train length	42.8 m (140 ft 5 in)
Headway	7–10 minutes
Technical
System length	18.5 km (11.5 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge
Electrification	Overhead line, 750 V DC
Top speed	70 km/h (43 mph)
Route map Legend 0.0 Newhaven 0.7 Ocean Terminal 1.6 Port of Leith 2.0 Shore 2.5 Foot of the Walk 3.1 Balfour Street 3.8 McDonald Road 4.7 Picardy Place 5.4 St Andrew Sq (Waverley) 6.0 Princes Street 7.0 West End 7.5 Haymarket 8.8 Murrayfield Stadium 9.8 Balgreen West Coast Main Line 11.4 Saughton 12.7 Bankhead 13.5 Edinburgh Park Edinburgh–Dunblane andNorth Clyde lines 14.4 Edinburgh Park Central 15.2 Gyle Centre 15.6 Edinburgh Gateway Fife Circle Line 15.8 Gogar tram depot 16.3 Gogarburn 17.9 Ingliston 18.5 Edinburgh Airport (special fares apply) km This diagram: view talk edit

Edinburgh Trams is a tramway inEdinburgh, Scotland, operated by Edinburgh Trams Ltd. It is an 18.5-kilometre (11.5 mi) line betweenNewhaven andEdinburgh Airport, with 23stops.^[2][3][4]

A modern tram network for Edinburgh was proposed byEdinburgh Council in 1999, with detailed design work being performed over the next decade. Construction of the first phase, linking Edinburgh Airport with Newhaven, began in June 2008, but encountered substantial delays and cost overruns. During 2009, a 15-year contract held byTransdev to operate and maintain the tram network was cancelled. By mid-2010, cancellation of the whole project was being publicly considered; during the following year it was announced that the length of the tram network would be drastically curtailed. Prior to August 2011, the project was overseen byTransport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE), a company wholly owned by Edinburgh Council; TIE was disbanded largely due to its failings on the project's delivery. The troubled construction of the Edinburgh Tram was subject to a lengthyformal inquiry, chaired byLord Hardie, which concluded that failings by Edinburgh Council and its arms-length companies were largely to blame for the delays in construction.

On 31 May 2014, the tramway was officially opened to the public, but only between the airport andYork Place. The service is operated by Edinburgh Trams Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary ofTransport for Edinburgh, in which the City of Edinburgh Council has a controlling interest. The service is equipped with 27CAF Urbos 3 vehicles. It runs at a seven-minute interval for most of the day, seven days per week. Fares and ticketing are integrated withLothian Buses, with the same fares charged on both systems, except for services to the airport where the tram is more expensive.

Since the original opening of the tramway, various changes have been implemented. In December 2016, the Edinburgh Gateway tram stop, between Gyle Centre and Gogarburn, was opened to provide an interchange between Edinburgh Trams and theFife Circle Line andEdinburgh to Aberdeen Lines. Following the council's approval for an extension of the line to Newhaven in March 2019, construction work commenced that November, and was completed on schedule in June 2023, despite being delayed for three months by thecoronavirus pandemic. As of 2024, an additional extension serving the north–south axis of the city was in the planning stage.

Edinburgh and Leith were originally served by horse-drawn coaches, and then from 1871 various companies and corporations ran trams that were horse-drawn, then cable driven and finally electric. The municipalEdinburgh Corporation Tramways ran from 1919 until 16 November 1956.^[5][6] After that date, public transport consisted of buses and a limited network of commuter rail lines.

Towards the end of the 20th century, there wasrevived interest in trams in the United Kingdom and networks were reintroduced inBirmingham,Croydon,Manchester,Nottingham andSheffield.^[7][8] Proposals for a network in Edinburgh were made in the 1990s, and a plan to build a line alongPrinces Street andLeith Walk toNewhaven was proposed in 1999 by the City of Edinburgh Council,Lothian and Edinburgh Enterprise and the New Edinburgh Tramways Company.^[9][10]

A 2001 proposal envisaged three routes, lines 1, 2 and 3. The first was a circular route around the northern suburbs, and the others were radial routes to Newbridge in the west andNewcraighall in the south.^[11] All lines would have passed through the city centre. In May 2004, a 15-year operating contract was awarded toTransdev, to operate and maintain the tram network.^[12][13] This contract was cancelled in 2009.^[14]

Twobills to reintroduce a tram network were passed by theScottish Parliament in March 2006.^[15][16] Lines 1 and 2 received parliamentary permission, but funding the entire network was deemed impossible. Line 3, to be paid for by a proposedEdinburgh congestion charge, was scrapped when the charge was heavily defeated in a referendum and construction of the remaining two lines was split into four phases:

• Phase 1a 18.5-kilometre (11.5 mi) from Newhaven toEdinburgh Airport viaPrinces Street, combining parts of lines 1 and 2
• Phase 1b 5.6-kilometre (3.5 mi) fromHaymarket toGranton Square viaCrewe Toll, comprising most of the remainder of line 1
• Phase 2 linking Granton Square and Newhaven, completing the line 1 loop
• Phase 3 extending the airport line toNewbridge, completing line 2

The future of the scheme came under threat in 2007, when theScottish National Party (SNP) published itsmanifesto for theScottish Parliamentary election. The party made clear its intention to cancel the scheme, along with theEdinburgh Airport Rail Link, to save £1.1 billion.^[17][8]

Following a lost vote in the Scottish Parliament, the SNP-led minorityScottish Government agreed to continue the line from the airport to Leith on condition that no more public money would be supplied. A report byAudit Scotland, commissioned by the Scottish Government, confirmed that the cost projections were sound.^[18][19][20] The cost of the scheme in 2003 was estimated at £498 million, £375 million in funding from the Scottish Government and £45 million from Edinburgh Council.^[21][22]

On 25 October 2007, the council approved the final business case.^[23] Approval was given on 22 December 2007 for TIE to sign contracts withCAF to supply vehicles and BBS (a consortium ofBilfinger Berger andSiemens) to design and construct the network.^[24][25] Contract negotiations finished in April 2008, and construction started in June 2008. By this stage the cost of the project was estimated at £521 million. Funding problems and political disputes led to the scaling back of the original plans. In April 2009, the council cancelled phase 1b, citing revenue shortfall created by theGreat Recession to save an estimated £75 million.^[26] The Granton extension was also cancelled for the same purpose.^[27][8]

Until August 2011, the project was overseen byTransport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE), a company wholly owned by the City of Edinburgh Council, who were responsible forproject-managing the construction of the tramway.^[28]

After the draft business case was accepted by the Scottish Government in March 2007,^[29] initial construction work commenced in July 2007, with the diversion ofunderground utilities in preparation for track-laying in Leith.^[30] These works followed a plan by System Design Services (SDS), a joint design team led byParsons Brinckerhoff andHalcrow Group.

In May 2008, final contracts to build the tram system were awarded to BSC, aconsortium ofBilfinger Berger,Siemens and Spanish tram builderConstrucciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF).^[31]

The tramway uses a mix ofstreet running and segregated off-road track, with conventional tram stop platforms.^[32] Stops are fitted with shelters, ticket machines, lighting andCCTV. The network is operated from a depot inGogar, close to theA8 roundabout, immediately west ofEdinburgh Gateway tram stop.^[33]

The route of the line required the construction of bridges to cross railway lines atEdinburgh Park andStenhouse, and a tunnel under the A8 near the Gogar roundabout. A bridge at Balgreen was widened.^[34] Works to build a tram interchange at Haymarket station involved the demolition of aCategory C(S) listed building, the former Caledonian Alehouse on Haymarket Terrace.^[35]

Some on-street track was laid in a special foundation with cobbled road surfacing designed to be sympathetic with the style of Edinburgh streets but was removed in many places due to objections from cyclists.^[36] The trams are powered by overhead cables attached to purpose-built poles or mounted on the sides of buildings.^[37] Nine electrical sub-stations were planned for the line to Newhaven, both underground and above-ground^[38] but only five were built after the line was truncated at York Place.^[39]

In 2008 and 2009, the project met with delays to work on tramway infrastructure. Phase 1b of the project was cancelled because of a funding shortfall in April 2009.^[26] Contractual disputes delayed track-laying in the city centre. In December 2009, media reported that the project budget was running over £545 million, and the system was unlikely to come into operation until February 2012 or later.^[40] The operating contract with Transdev was cancelled in December 2009 to reduce costs and it was announced that the trams would be operated by Edinburgh Trams Limited, a subsidiary of Transport for Edinburgh.^[14][41] During March 2010, Bilfinger Berger announced that the estimated completion date would be in 2014.^[42][43]

In February 2009, work on thePrinces Street section stopped due to contractual disagreements between TIE and BSC after the latter submitted a request for an additional £80 million of funding.^[44][45] Edinburgh Council believed the contractors' claims were unjustified as they had agreed to fixed-price contracts.^[46] After negotiations, BSC agreed to commence construction in March 2009 within the original budget, although disagreements remained.^[47] Work restarted and line construction went ahead.

In August 2009, TIE began legal proceedings against the BSC consortium over delays to the project,^[48] and track-laying on Leith Walk, Shandwick Place and Haymarket was suspended. At issue were alleged changes to BSC's work specification, including track works on Princes Street and £5 million additional costs for foundation work nearMurrayfield Stadium. The BSC consortium alleged that TIE had not diverted the underground utilities in time for track-laying to begin, breaching contractual agreements and costing the consortium additional staffing expenditure.^[49]

In January 2010, the independent arbiter found in favour of TIE on some points, but on most of the disputed issues ruled in favour of BSC and awarded the consortium 90% of its additional costs, estimated to be up to £80 million.^[50]

Delays in track laying and depot construction affected vehicle testing. By September 2009, construction was reported to be nine months behind schedule, and CAF was due to deliver the first trams from its factory in Spain. With keyproject dependency out of synchronisation, TIE held discussions withTransport for London about delivering the trams toCroydon to conduct operational tests on theTramlink network.^[51][52] Tram vehicle testing commenced in March 2010 on theSiemens test track inWildenrath, Germany.^[53] The tests included recreating the steep gradients of Leith Walk, and using weights to simulate the heavy passenger load expected during aMurrayfield match day.^[54][55]

Following further disputes and delays, it was reported in March 2010 that Edinburgh Council was considering cancelling the contract with Bilfinger Berger.^[56] By June 2010, the project's cost had risen to £600 million.^[57] Council project managers were reported to be in crisis talks, considering options including: borrowing £55 million to fund the increased costs; phasing the introduction of the tram line, so that trams would initially run between the airport and Haymarket; and terminating the contract with Bilfinger Berger.^[58] The council asked TIE to draw up costs for truncating the line at four places:Haymarket station, York Place, the foot ofLeith Walk orOcean Terminal.^[59]

Work resumed in May 2011 at priority locations, Haymarket Yards and Gogar, while the project's future was decided by the council. In August 2011 it was announced TIE would be disbanded and consultantsTurner & Townsend would manage the project.^[60][61]

On 30 June 2011, Edinburgh Council voted to continue the line between Edinburgh Airport and St Andrew Square. Costs rose to an estimated £770 million, leaving the council with a shortfall of more than £200 million.^[62][63] The option to scrap the project was considered, but rejected.^[64] On 25 August 2011, the council voted to cut the line to run between the airport andHaymarket, reducing the expected cost to £715 million.^[65] A week later, after the Scottish Government threatened to withhold £72 million of funding,^[66] the council reversed its decision, restoring the terminus atSt Andrew Square.^[62] On 29 November 2011, it was announced that the eastern terminus would be at York Place instead of St Andrew Square; the intention had been to build the tracks to a reversing point at York Place (without a stop for passengers). Extending passenger services from St Andrew Square to York Place would enable Broughton Street, Picardy Place and the surrounding area to be better served at comparatively little additional cost.^[67]

The first electric wires were energised in October 2011 within the depot at Gogar. Testing trams began in December 2011 near the depot at Gogar, on a 500-metre (550 yd) length of track.^[68][69] On 15 December 2011, the contractors handed the depot to the City of Edinburgh Council.^[70] The first completed section of line, between the depot and Edinburgh Airport, was used to test a tram at full speed on 19 December 2012.^[71]

With extra interest payments factored in, the cost of the line was expected to exceed £1 billion despite the decreased scope of the network.^[72][8]

Delays in construction were criticised by businesses, who claimed their income was damaged by long-term road closures in the centre of the city, and also by some residents.^[46][73][74]

Cycling groups voiced safety concerns after people were injured as their bicycle wheels became caught in the track. They reported the road surface around the tracks was crumbling, raising further safety problems. In response, TiE promised to carry out repairs and Edinburgh Trams agreed to fund special training for cyclists.^[75] During 2017, a woman was crushed to death by a passing bus when her bicycle wheel was caught in the tracks.^[76] Further safety concerns were raised by residents along the routes about the suspension of overhead electric cables from residential buildings, and some property owners refused permission for cables to be attached.^[54]

To remedy crumbling tarmac along the tracks on Princes Street, the road was closed in September 2011 and remained closed for ten months.^[77][78] A road closure between Haymarket and Shandwick Place in March 2012 led to complaints from businesses and residents. It remained closed until October 2013. Originally to open asShandwick Place tram stop, it was renamedWest End - Princes Street prior to opening at the request of local traders, who felt the new name had greater associations to the city centre and would encourage more tourists to get off there. The stop was renamed again in August 2019 asWest End.^{[79][80][81][82]}

From late 2012, work continued mostly on schedule.^[83] More than 150 metres (160 yd) of flawed concrete trackbed had to be replaced between Shandwick Place and Haymarket.^[84][85] In June 2013, overhead electric wires were installed on the city centre portion of the route. This was considered the last major step in the construction process.^[86]

Originally, it was planned that concessionary travel, that is the ability of those with aScottish National Entitlement Card to travel on public transport free of charge, was not going to be offered on the tramway. This was despite the fact that Edinburgh Trams is to be run by Lothian Buses, who are mandated to offer free travel to those with concession cards on all their bus routes.^[87] This revelation quickly caused city leaders to support anEdinburgh Evening News campaign to ensure that concessionary travel would be offered on the new tramway. City transport convenerLesley Hinds stated "People in Edinburgh have paid through their council tax and their taxes for the trams to get up and running and it would be wrong for a large proportion of the population not to be allowed to use their concessionary bus pass".^[87]

Despite this, theScottish Government refused to pay for concessionary travel for the tram scheme, as it does for all bus routes in Scotland. Talks between the Scottish Government and Edinburgh Council eventually decided that concession cards should be valid for tram travel, but that they should be paid for by the Council instead of the Government.^[88] It was revealed on 15 August 2013 that the cards would be valid, and that travel would be paid for by Edinburgh Council. However, only people with cards issued in Edinburgh would be able to use them.^[89] This compromise upset many people inthe Lothians, who often commute or travel into Edinburgh.^[90]

Works were two months ahead of schedule by September 2013, when Edinburgh Council announced the tramway would open by May 2014.^[91] All tram and road works were completed by 19 October^[80] with testing of the trams between the depot and Edinburgh Park commencing on 8 October 2013. This was followed by the energising of tram wires from Bankhead tram stop to York Place on 19 November, marking the first time that the route was completely energised.^[92] Testing along the full length of the route began on 5 December.^[93][94][95]

The tramway opened to passengers on 31 May 2014.^[96][97]

In June 2014, shortly after the opening of the line, the thenFirst MinisterAlex Salmond announced a non-statutory public inquiry into the project's delays and cost overruns.^[98] The inquiry, which was headed by the former Lord Advocate,Andrew Hardie, Baron Hardie, was later upgraded to a statutory inquiry to ensure that key personnel would provide evidence.^[99]

The inquiry was itself subject to considerable delays. It finally published its report in August 2023. The report concluded that failings by Edinburgh Council, its arms-length companies and the Scottish Government were to blame for the delays,^[100] with much of the criticism being directed against TIE. Lord Hardie made 24 recommendations in the report, and also provided a figure of £835.7m for the final cost of the project.^[101]

Edinburgh Council stated on 17 March 2014 that works would be conducted along Leith Walk to prepare it for a possible future extension of tram service.^[102] In December 2014, Edinburgh Council ordered a detailed business case for extending the line to Leith.^[103] The council said in July 2015 that three options for an extension to Leith had been costed. These were a £144.7 million extension to Newhaven, a £126.6 million extension toOcean Terminal, or a £78.7 million extension to the Foot ofLeith Walk.^[104]

During 2017, the business case to extend the system to Newhaven was approved.^[105][8]

In June 2018,Colin Beattie, theMSP forMidlothian North and Musselburgh, and others, suggested that the system should be extended to Musselburgh to relieve traffic congestion on the approaches to theCity Bypass.^[106]

In March 2019, Edinburgh Council approved extending the system from York Place toNewhaven, with the line due to be operational by early 2023.^[107] Preliminary works to Constitution Street and Leith Walk started in November 2019.^[108] Work was suspended in March 2020 due to thecoronavirus pandemic^[109] but was restarted in June 2020.^[110]

In February 2022, the eastern terminating York Place stop was permanently closed for demolition and to enable connection to the Newhaven extension which relocated the York Place stop to Picardy Place.^[111] Services initially terminated at the West End stop between February and April 2022, and then the St Andrew Square stop before June 2023; however, trams still ran to York Place to turn back.^[112]

On 13 March 2023, following completion of tracklaying and the installation of overhead power lines, test trams began running during the night between Picardy Place and Newhaven, becoming the first tram to run in Leith since the closure of the original tramway system.^[113] The first test trams ran at walking pace, but their speed was later increased to 20 miles per hour (32 km/h). Daytime testing commenced on 19 April 2023, with 40 newly recruited drivers under training.^[114] After an announcement on 25 May 2023, revenue service on the full route began on 7 June 2023.^[115][116]

In June 2024, the Trams to Newhaven project won an award from theLocal Government Chronicle in its Future Places category, with the citation praising "[t]he deep collaboration between the council and private sector partners".^[117]

During the early 2020s, plans were being prepared for a new line which would connectGranton in the north of the city with theBioquarter in the south east, and possibly further onto eitherDalkeith^[118] orQueen Margaret University orShawfair.^[119] At a meeting on 1 February 2024, City of Edinburgh Council voted to put the proposed north–south extension to public consultation; by this point, it had an estimated construction cost of £2bn.^[120]

The single, 18.5-kilometre (11.5 mi) route begins running on-street at Newhaven, and then, via an 8 stop extension which opened in June 2023, from the port of Leith^[121][113] to York Place (now served by Picardy Place) in the city centre.^[122][123] It turns into North St Andrew Street, crossesSt Andrew Square. From the square, it heads southeast intoPrinces Street, and west along the street towardHaymarket, via Shandwick Place, Atholl Place and West Maitland Street.^[124] At Haymarket, the route heads onto a segregated track parallel to theGlasgow to Edinburgh mainline. It follows the railway line west for about 6.8 kilometres (4.2 mi), toEdinburgh Park railway station. There, it leaves the railway line on a segregated track and heads north to Gogar Roundabout from where it heads northwest viaIngliston Park and Ride toEdinburgh Airport, where it terminates.^[124]

An additional tram stop was opened in December 2016, between Gyle Centre and Gogarburn.^[125] This stop, called Edinburgh Gateway, is situated alongside theEdinburgh Gateway railway station which opened at the same time. The station provides an interchange between Edinburgh Trams and theFife Circle Line andEdinburgh to Aberdeen Lines.^[126] After this stop opened, crews changed here rather than at the special short platform which had been constructed alongside the nearby Gogar depot. Thus, the additional stop at Edinburgh Gateway did not affect the end-to-end running time between the Airport and York Place.^[127]

Image	Tram stop	Location	Transport interchange	Serves	Comments
	Newhaven	55°58′48″N3°11′20″W / 55.9800°N 3.1889°W /55.9800; -3.1889		Western Harbour Firth of Forth
	Ocean Terminal	55°58′49″N3°10′40″W / 55.9802°N 3.1777°W /55.9802; -3.1777	Lothian Buses	Royal Yacht Britannia Ocean Terminal shopping centre
	Port of Leith	55°58′41″N3°09′59″W / 55.9781°N 3.1664°W /55.9781; -3.1664		Victoria Swing Bridge Fingal
	The Shore	55°58′30″N3°10′01″W / 55.9750°N 3.1669°W /55.9750; -3.1669		Water of Leith
	Foot of the Walk	55°58′13″N3°10′29″W / 55.9704°N 3.1746°W /55.9704; -3.1746		Great Junction Street Leith Links
	Balfour Street	55°57′55″N3°10′35″W / 55.9653°N 3.1764°W /55.9653; -3.1764		Leith Walk (lower) Pilrig Park
	McDonald Road	55°57′39″N3°10′54″W / 55.9607°N 3.1816°W /55.9607; -3.1816		Leith Walk (upper)
	Picardy Place	55°57′25″N3°11′13″W / 55.9569°N 3.1869°W /55.9569; -3.1869	Lothian Buses	Broughton area Greenside area & attractions St James Quarter	Replaced the former York Place terminus
	St Andrew Square	55°57′15″N3°11′32″W / 55.9543°N 3.1921°W /55.9543; -3.1921	Lothian Buses Edinburgh Bus Station Waverley	Scottish National Portrait Gallery St James Quarter
	Princes Street	55°57′06″N3°11′52″W / 55.9518°N 3.1978°W /55.9518; -3.1978	Lothian Buses	Royal Scottish Academy National Gallery of Scotland The Mound Royal Mile
	West End	55°56′55″N3°12′42″W / 55.9486°N 3.2116°W /55.9486; -3.2116		St Mary's Cathedral (Episcopal) Financial District
	Haymarket	55°56′45″N3°13′11″W / 55.9457°N 3.2196°W /55.9457; -3.2196	Lothian Buses Scottish Citylink Haymarket	Dalry area EICC Financial District
	Murrayfield Stadium	55°56′31″N3°14′14″W / 55.9420°N 3.2373°W /55.9420; -3.2373		Murrayfield Stadium Roseburn area
	Balgreen	55°56′17″N3°15′08″W / 55.9381°N 3.2522°W /55.9381; -3.2522		Saughton Park Water of Leith Walkway Edinburgh Zoo (walk 1.25 km)
	Saughton	55°55′56″N3°16′32″W / 55.9323°N 3.2755°W /55.9323; -3.2755		Broomhouse Carrick Knowe area Stenhouse area
	Bankhead	55°55′44″N3°17′38″W / 55.9289°N 3.2938°W /55.9289; -3.2938		Edinburgh College Sighthill Campus Napier University Sighthill Campus South Gyle
	Edinburgh Park Station	55°55′39″N3°18′25″W / 55.9274°N 3.3070°W /55.9274; -3.3070	Edinburgh Park	Hermiston Gait Retail Park
	Edinburgh Park Central	55°55′53″N3°18′53″W / 55.9313°N 3.3146°W /55.9313; -3.3146		Edinburgh Park
	Gyle Centre	55°56′16″N3°19′06″W / 55.9379°N 3.3183°W /55.9379; -3.3183		Gyle Shopping Centre
	Edinburgh Gateway	55°56′26″N3°19′18″W / 55.9405°N 3.3218°W /55.9405; -3.3218	Edinburgh Gateway	Interchange Stop offering links from Fife viaScotRail
	Gogarburn	55°56′17″N3°19′56″W / 55.9380°N 3.3322°W /55.9380; -3.3322		Royal Bank of Scotland Headquarters
	Ingliston Park & Ride	55°56′24″N3°21′14″W / 55.9400°N 3.3539°W /55.9400; -3.3539	Lothian Buses	Ingliston Royal Highland Centre
	Edinburgh Airport	55°56′52″N3°21′38″W / 55.9478°N 3.3606°W /55.9478; -3.3606	Edinburgh Airport

Image	Tram stop	Location	Transport interchange	Served	Comments
	York Place	55°57′23″N3°11′19″W / 55.9565°N 3.1887°W /55.9565; -3.1887	Lothian Buses	Broughton Street and neighbourhood Omni Centre Edinburgh Playhouse St Mary's Cathedral (RC)	Permanently closed in February 2022 due to the Newhaven extension. York Place was replaced by Picardy Place when the extension opened in 2023

Approximate journey times from the airport are ten minutes to Gyle Centre, 30 minutes to the city centre (Princes Street) and 55 minutes to Newhaven. The journey from the city centre to Newhaven takes approximately 25 minutes.

Services run every seven to ten minutes. As of 7 June 2023^[update], the first service of the day leaves Gyle Centre for Newhaven at 04:26. The first service leaves Newhaven at 05:20 and the airport at 06:26. The last service of the day leaves the airport at 22:48 and Newhaven at 23:50. The timetable is broadly the same every day of the week, except for a slightly reduced early morning frequency on Saturdays and Sundays.^[128]

As the first scheduled flight leaves Edinburgh at approximately 06:00, it is not currently possible to use the tram to get to the airport in time for security and departure. Conversely it is also not possible to use the tram on later arriving flights at Edinburgh Airport.

There are often later services on Friday and Saturday nights during theEdinburgh Festival andFringe. The service interval is often reduced to three minutes before and after major events atMurrayfield Stadium.^[129]

Edinburgh Trams currently operates a fleet of 27 trams, as follows:^[130]

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Length metres	Capacity				In service	Orders	Fleet numbers	Routes operated	Built	Years operated
			mph	km/h		Std	Sdg	W	Total
CAF Urbos 3		Tram	43	70	42.8	78	170	2	250	27	—	251-277	All lines	2010–2012	2014–present
Total										27	—

A £40 million contract to build 27Urbos 3 trams, sufficient for phase 1a and (unbuilt) 1b lines, was awarded toCAF. When the line was cut back to York Place, only 17 trams would be needed.^[131] An unsuccessful attempt was made in 2011 to lease ten trams toTransport for London for use onTramlink.^[132]

The trams are bi-directional, 42.8 metres (140 ft 5 in) long and withlow-flooraccess to meetUK Rail Vehicle Access Regulations for disabled people.^[133][134]

In April 2010, the first tram was delivered and displayed at the Princes Street stop at the bottom ofThe Mound,^[135] before being moved to open storage inBroxburn.^[136] The 27th tram was delivered in December 2012.^[137] The trams havewrapped advertisements for promoting local events and commercial advertising.^[138]

Ticketing and fares are integrated withLothian Buses. Aproof of payment system applies. The single fare within the city zone is the same as on Lothian Buses (£2, with effect from 1 April 2023); day tickets and Ridacards are equally valid on trams and buses. As an exception, the tram fare from the city zone to the airport is £7.50 one-way compared to £5.50 for the bus.^[139][140]

The "Ridacard" is a smartcard season ticket issued by Transport for Edinburgh; it is valid on both Edinburgh Trams and Lothian Buses (available for one week, four weeks or annually). On 1 September 2014, a rechargeable pre-paid smartcard for single journeys on both buses and trams, called "Citysmart", was introduced.

Free travel is available to holders of City of Edinburgh Council-issuedScottish National Entitlement Cards which are eligible for concessionary travel, and for a companion travelling with the cardholder of National Entitlement Cards with a companion entitlement. Passengers with National Entitlement Cards eligible for concessionary travel but issued by other local authorities are not offered any fare concession, with the exception of blind or visually impaired cardholders.^{[90][141][142]} This is due to the free travel for local residents being funded by the City Council rather than the government.

An "onboard fare" of £10 is charged to passengers who have not pre-purchased a ticket or validated either a Ridacard, a National Entitlement Card or anm-ticket before boarding.^[142][143]

At the request of Lothian Buses, installation of 30 ticket machines at key bus stops began in 2007. Passengers had to purchase tickets before boarding the bus, reducing dwell times,^[144] but the machines were not popular with users and were scrapped in 2011. Consideration was given to installing similar on-street ticket machines,^[145] and new, advanced machines (capable of reading smartcards and accepting credit/debit cards) were installed in early 2014 at each tram stop. The new ticket machines are the Galexio-Plus type supplied by Flowbird Transport Ltd.^[146] Ticket machines do not accept banknotes or give change. The minimum spend for a card transaction was originally £3 which was more than the cost for a single ticket.^[147] The minimum spend was scrapped in September 2019, following complaints from customers and negative press comments.^[148][149]

Services run every seven minutes throughout the entire line, between St Andrew Square andEdinburgh Airport. On 7 June 2023, the services extended north from St Andrew Square toNewhaven, connecting Leith more quickly than bus services from the city centre, for the first time in almost 70 years.^[121]

In May and June 2015, cyclists were allowed to board the trams with their bikes, during a trial period which was supported by cycle campaign groupsSpokes andPedal on Parliament. Following this, Edinburgh trams became the first modern tram network in the UK to permit the carriage of bikes on a permanent basis, with up to two bicycles being allowed per tram outwith peak hours (7.30 am to 9.30 am, and 4 pm to 6.30 pm) and excluding the period of the Edinburgh Festival and the Festival Fringe (usually 3½ weeks during August) and other large events.^[150][151]

Edinburgh Trams Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary company ofTransport for Edinburgh Limited. By virtue of its controlling interest in the parent's equity capital, theCity of Edinburgh Council is the ultimate controlling party.^[152]

The key trends for Edinburgh Trams Limited since it commenced operations in May 2014 are (years ending 31 December):

Edinburgh Trams made a pre-tax profit of £252,000 for 2016, against a predicted loss of £170,000, which meant that profitability had been achieved two years ahead of schedule.^[160] This was based on excluding maintenance and infrastructure costs. Including these, as has been done since 2018 when these costs were shifted to Edinburgh Trams, the small operating profit (£3 million) has turned to a large operating loss (e.g. £9.4 million in 2018).^[152] It has not achieved an operating profit since full costing.^[152]

Fifty-twoticket inspectors have been recruited to preventfare dodging. Edinburgh Council is aiming for a 3% fare evasion rate, lower than any other tramway in Britain. Thirty-two drivers were employed, after passing psychological tests designed to eliminate risk-takers.^[161][162]

Frequent accidents involving cyclists and the tramway have been reported since the opening of the system in 2014. These are typically caused by bicycle wheels getting stuck in the rails or by bikes skidding on the rails.^[163] A study published in 2018 found that, up to April 2016, 191 cyclists in Edinburgh had suffered tramway-related accidents serious enough to require hospital treatment.^[164] In September 2022, usingFreedom of Information (FoI) data, theBBC reported that there had been 422 accidents involving cyclists on the tram tracks, as a result of which 196 cyclists had made successful claims against Edinburgh City Council, resulting in nearly £1.3 million being paid in damages.^[165]Following a further FoI request in September 2024, it was reported there had been 112 collisions between trams and other road vehicles since 2014, as well as four collisions involving cyclists (not including incidents involving cyclists and trams tracks).^[166]

Noteworthy accidents include:

• On 29 August 2014, a bus and tram collided in the West End of Edinburgh, causing severe traffic congestion.^[167]
• On 31 May 2017, a medical student was killed in Princes Street when she fell into the path of a minibus after her bike wheels may have become stuck in the tram rails.^[168] However, the exact cause of her fall is not known.^[169]
• On 13 June 2018, a bus and tram collided near Edinburgh Airport, seriously injuring the bus driver.^[170]
• On 11 September 2018, a pedestrian was killed by a tram on a crossing near Saughton tram stop. TheRail Accident Investigation Branch determined that the tram's warning bell was not loud enough, and that Edinburgh Trams should better monitor risks at crossings.^[171][172] The tram company was subsequently fined £240,000 for breaches of health and safety regulations.^[173] In April 2024, it was announced that afatal accident inquiry into the incident would take place at theEdinburgh Sheriff Court.^{[174][needs update]}

• "Edinburgh Trams takes over first section of city route".The Railway Magazine. Vol. 159, no. 1345. Horncastle: Mortons Media Group. May 2013. p. 95.ISSN 0033-8923.OCLC 750645684.

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