Edinburgh seeks views on north-south tram extension

The proposed tram line would run north-south from run from Granton through the city centre to the BioQuarter

Plans for a north-south tramline through Edinburgh is to go to a public consultation after being approved by the city council. The line would run from Granton through the city centre to the BioQuarter.

This would extend the existing network, which runs from Newhaven, through Leith and central Edinburgh and on to the airport.

The 12-week consultation into the new line is due to start in the Spring. This follows a consultation on the City Mobility Plan (CMP) in 2020/21, which found that 62% of respondents would like to see tram network expanded, and 89% desired general improvements to public transport, said the council.

Edinburgh Trams started taking passengers in June 2023 after long delays, and cost an estimated £1bn in construction costs and loan interest. 

The first phase of Edinburgh’s tram system was three years late and £300m over budget due to “a litany of avoidable failures”, a public inquiry has concluded.

The City Council had budgeted £545m for a tram line, between Edinburgh Airport and Newhaven, to open in 2011.

In October 2023 an inquiry into why the Edinburgh Tram Project was seriously delayed and significantly ran over budget uncovered “a litany of avoidable failures”, which it blamed on the city council, the firm set up to deliver the project and Scottish ministers (LTT 4 October 2023)