The Chairman has just jacked it in and gone for early retirement. Should they just retire the whole project?
I think they should.
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Edinburgh Trams - should they just ditch the whole idea?
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Posted 1 year ago #
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Yes. Spend the money on the appalling state of the roads instead.
I liked the Evening News' front cover today
Posted 1 year ago # -
It wouldn't be missed, that's for sure. Really would be a sublime celebration of incompetence if they called the whole thing off - would they leave the tracks in Princes St as a warning to others?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Nope. To jack it in now that they have spent all this money would be insane. Too late to stop. Let's at least get a ride on a tram out of it.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Thing is, the trams don't even go anywhere I'd want a ride on a tram to! I'm not sure what problem they're solving...
Posted 1 year ago # -
How much track have they actually laid? I can only think of a couple of hundred yards on princes street.
Thing has got to be less that a quarter of the way through. A thought which is absolutely terrifying.
IA - Allegedly - I think the problem that they were trying to solve was that one or more of the members of the council's construction firms didn't have enough work on... Just like when they decided to try and bankrupt all the shops on George Street.
Posted 1 year ago # -
They could have dualled the A9 north of perth for all the money already wasted. I like the idea of the tram but its not been delivered big waste of cash.
Posted 1 year ago # -
The yard In leith which is guarded 24hrs a day by a sleeping security man Is full of sleepers and rails ready to lay . This has got to be the worst waste of money ever. Scrap the whole idea reinstall the great bus service we used to have and build a rail spur from North gyle to the airport . Job done .
Dont get me started on the length of time the museum refurb and Commy pool is taking.
Posted 1 year ago # -
What is a thread like this without Hitler telling like it is.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yOqU4-zE5wProbably not safe for work due to understandable strong language.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Blimey - sounds even worse than the Cambridge Guided Bus!!
Posted 1 year ago # -
I thought they'd pulled all the hundreds of spoofs of that Hitler video that were going round, nice to see it back!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Too late now. So much work has been done they might as well finish
Posted 1 year ago # -
The project always was lunacy. Half a billion pounds (and counting) to lay just one tram line. I don't see why they couldn't have extended one of the train lines (e.g. the one that goes to Edinburgh Park already) to the airport.
The SNP tried to kill the project when they took over the Scottish Government but all the other parties outvoted them to keep it going.
Posted 1 year ago # -
They have nearly finished the Gogar depot & they are well underway with digging the tunnel under the A8. The tracks have been laid at Stenhouse and also by the new brdige at Edinburgh Park. I don't know about further east but I'd say the route from town to the airport is pretty well advanced.
Posted 1 year ago # -
They're past the point of no return finacially i think.
Completely unrequired as Edinburgh has a great bus service.
It's shocking that hundreds of millions will end up spent on this while the roads are a mess, cycle routes are underfunded and people regulary die on the non-dualed A9.Posted 1 year ago # -
The wole thing is stupid. It neither interfaces properly with teh airport or teh main line trains. There is a ruddy train line on the airport estate anyway
Stupid half baked idea. Should be using the south suburban loop as well - the rails for that are still there
Posted 1 year ago # -
Should they just retire the whole project?
Yep.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Not to mention the dire need to start construction of the Forth Replacement Crossing if anyone in Fife wants to carry on commuting into Edinburgh without having to go via Kincardine...
Posted 1 year ago # -
Agree it was a joke to start with, i'd love to see the numbers they used to justify the trams as I can't see it reducing traffic much at all!
Posted 1 year ago # -
What I always found massively annoying about Edinburgh is the fact that the railway runs right past the airport, literally 1/4 mile from the end of the runway. Is there a station there? Is there hell. No, coming from the north you travel right past the airport into Edinburgh then get a bus or taxi back out to the airport.
Total lunacy.
Posted 1 year ago # -
thats the bit that is totally barking crazy legs - and the trams are not going to interface properly either at teh airport IIRC. Tehy certainly do not interface properly with the main line trains.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Reopen the South Sub! campaign page. Seems to have stalled somewhat judging by the last update.
It doesn't seem that transformative an idea IMHO, not that I'm an expert in how people move around Edinburgh. But it would cost peanuts as the line is currently in use by both freight and passenger services (IIRC one intercity goes right round it for some reason) so you're only talking about building some stations - glorified bus shelters really. Seems like an easy experiment to carry out.
Of course there's a reason the line closed in the first place.
Posted 1 year ago # -
@rs
Here is the closest thing I could find to the original business case, from 2007. Pretty impenetrable I reckon ! And lots of out of date assumptions.
http://www.edinburghtrams.com/include/uploads/story_so_far/Final_Business_Case_Edinburgh_Tram.pdf
They're meant to be working on an updated business case. Apparently this update shows that the trams are going to be profitable from year 1. Guffaw.
They should cancel it now.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I think the whole tram idea was just the Edinburgh Council transport loonies way of punishing the city for knocking back their ill thought out congestion charging plan.
Posted 1 year ago # -
are there any tram schemes that actually worked well both logistically and financially?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Manchester? It replaced a train service and interfaced with the rail stations properly
Posted 1 year ago # -
TJ the rails for the south sub line are still there as its still used as a freight line and for access to Craigentinny for empty passenger sets. But your right these derelict stations could be used again.
The new waverley line to gala could have been built and up and running for a fraction of the tramline cost also.
Sorry Garry didn't see your post.
Posted 1 year ago # -
TJ is right, Manchester trams aren't bad actually.
The current roadworks as they extend the system eastwards out to Oldham are incredibly annoying though.But the trams fit in well with both the existing train and bus networks.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Any ideas what their plans are for hanging power cables in Princes Street?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Is'nt the power source coming from underneath on the new system .?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Manchester? It replaced a train service and interfaced with the rail stations properly
Aye, but do you remember the crap advertising campaign in the run-in to the referendum on funding the expansion.
Tag line: "What would you say to trams in to the heart of Rochdale?"
Most people in Manchester: "We don't live in Rochdale, or have any reason to go there"
Result: 'No' vote.
Andy
Posted 1 year ago # -
swtanfree -its overhead cables - on posts on princess street
Posted 1 year ago # -
stanfree - no. dont think so.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I'm surprised that the German company Bilfinger Berger is getting so much stick, zee Germans are normally spot on with building stuff, it's the UK companies that are usually pants.
Also with the parliament building being 3 years late and went from an estimate of £40mil to over £400mil final cost, it would seem Edinburgh stumbles from one embarrasement to another.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I think that the problems are based on the fact that there are a load of different companies doing small bits of the project rather than one company doing all of it like they do on every other tram project on the planet. One firm runs late so others have huge problems and the financial implications of that get passed on to the good people of edinburgh.
Posted 1 year ago #
Topic Closed
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