Edinburgh tram goes live tomorrow!
Discussion
Soupie69uk said:
20 minutes to St Andrews Square. Was really impressed with it, super smooth, quick and only issue I noticed was that it was quite rough around the sharper bends and that cars at the Haymarket/Dalry junction were sitting in the yellow box junction which held up the tram for a couple of minutes.
I almost wish I lived on the route so I could use them everyday.
My mate texted earlier to say that too. I almost wish I lived on the route so I could use them everyday.
TheSnitch said:
Driving around Edinburgh is a ball ache at the best of times, especially over the last decade with all the roadworks. I fancy it even less with one of those f
kers bearing down on me at traffic lights.
The team works finished some time ago (obviously) and it's fine driving with the trams around!kers bearing down on me at traffic lights. Come back - it's much improved.
grumbledoak said:
Part of the case for trams was because they are more intimidating than buses. They are literally intended to intimidate perfectly legal motorists (well, car drivers) off the roads. I've no idea how the pedestrians and the spandex brigade are expected to be immune - both are pretty squishy.
Ha ha haYou're not being serious, are you?
simoid said:
Take it you like the trams Burger? 
Yeah, I do. I was originally opposed and like most people I gawped at the delays, spiralling costs, etc. But I like them now. A welcome improvement. Edinburgh seems more cosmopolitan, welcoming and versatile in some ways with a new modern transport option.
Soupie69uk said:
I got a tram to work this morning as I was dropping my car off at Sighthill.
20 minutes to St Andrews Square. Was really impressed with it, super smooth, quick and only issue I noticed was that it was quite rough around the sharper bends and that cars at the Haymarket/Dalry junction were sitting in the yellow box junction which held up the tram for a couple of minutes.
Think it will be good for Hermison Gait and the Gyle as it seemed quite out of town but now its only 20-25 mins on a tram.
I almost wish I lived on the route so I could use them everyday.
But how do you get from the actual Hermiston park and ride to the tram? I can see Hermiston Gate's car park getting very full very quickly. And they won't like that. Although, as you say, fantastic for commercial and retail in the area of the Gyle. And maybe, finally, people will start to use that Novotel that's stuck out there, in the middle of nowhere!20 minutes to St Andrews Square. Was really impressed with it, super smooth, quick and only issue I noticed was that it was quite rough around the sharper bends and that cars at the Haymarket/Dalry junction were sitting in the yellow box junction which held up the tram for a couple of minutes.
Think it will be good for Hermison Gait and the Gyle as it seemed quite out of town but now its only 20-25 mins on a tram.
I almost wish I lived on the route so I could use them everyday.
As you might expect from a brand new service, everything was sparkly new, smooth and clean - although I concur re the rather rough sounds that occur on the tracks going around tight turns....
Took forty minutes from Ingliston to princes street - five or ten wasted at Haymarket waiting to get through the junction. There will need to be a rethink there I suspect. Proof for me will be the rush hour return to my car at 5pm.
All in all though thumbs up and I can see it helping to develop the western outreaches of Edinburgh.
Took forty minutes from Ingliston to princes street - five or ten wasted at Haymarket waiting to get through the junction. There will need to be a rethink there I suspect. Proof for me will be the rush hour return to my car at 5pm.
All in all though thumbs up and I can see it helping to develop the western outreaches of Edinburgh.
I grew up in Edinburgh before moving to Fife around 7 years ago. In theory the trams should have been a good idea but the massive cost, huge delays and disruption, and the clear mismanagement of the contract means that the project can never be considered a success in my opinion. My biggest gripe is that nobody will be held to account and the tax payer will be left to pick up the bill for the next few decades. I’ve spoken to many friends and relatives who still live and work in Edinburgh and not one of thinks the trams were a good idea or value for money.
Yes or Sighthill industrial estate could get busier also. Tesco would maybe benefit from that as people would pop in for their shop on their way home. There is the park and ride at Ingliston also.
I think they should really look at extending the service to follow the original plan. Ocean Terminal would then get a boost and it would make the route a but more useful. The Leith Walk disruptions would be a pain for a few years however. But I think they may have done some of the prep work already.
I think they should really look at extending the service to follow the original plan. Ocean Terminal would then get a boost and it would make the route a but more useful. The Leith Walk disruptions would be a pain for a few years however. But I think they may have done some of the prep work already.
Edinburger said:
Yeah, I do. I was originally opposed and like most people I gawped at the delays, spiralling costs, etc.
But I like them now. A welcome improvement. Edinburgh seems more cosmopolitan, welcoming and versatile in some ways with a new modern transport option.
I'm similar. Not seen them with passengers on board yet, but I think it'll take me a long time to get over the monumental cost, waste and delays. Kinda spoils the little smile I have when I've seen one rumbling past But I like them now. A welcome improvement. Edinburgh seems more cosmopolitan, welcoming and versatile in some ways with a new modern transport option.
I got the tram to work from the Ingleston park & ride this morning. They've stopped the x12 bus service now (although I didn't see any notice of this) so I had to take the tram, which ended up with me being late for work. It seemed to stop at Murrayfield for 5+ mins and I'm not sure why, but the journey was longer than it would have been on the bus.
So now instead of getting the 25 past bus I need to get a quarter past tram. Excellent.
So now instead of getting the 25 past bus I need to get a quarter past tram. Excellent.
Edinburger said:
The team works finished some time ago (obviously) and it's fine driving with the trams around!
Come back - it's much improved.
I take it that you've never had to try to get out of the Gyle business park at 5pm? It wasn't great before, now it's a car park from half 4 until half 6, and it's worse if there's any incident on either the A71, M8 or the city bypass.Come back - it's much improved.
I'm neither for the trams, nor am I against. What I am against though, is gargantuan f
k-ups that cost billions of pounds of taxpayer's money when there was a clearly cheaper solution available. A poster earlier in the thread the nail on the head... the railway line to Fife passes literally 20 feet away from the airport's boundary fence. TIE could have spend a tenth of the tram's final bill upgrading the lines and building a station and achieved much the same effect any not pissed off a quarter of a million people in the process.HarryFlatters said:
I take it that you've never had to try to get out of the Gyle business park at 5pm? It wasn't great before, now it's a car park from half 4 until half 6, and it's worse if there's any incident on either the A71, M8 or the city bypass.
Don't say that, I work out of there for a week at a time occasionally REALIST123 said:
Chrisgr31 said:
It is surprising that this scheme was su a disaster, after all there are a number of other cities with very successful trams in the UK.
Are there any that have yet repaid the capital cost?When the bank providing the finance to TIE mentioned that their benchmarking had shown that every single Tram system in Europe is subsidised, TIE just stuck their fngers in their ears and sang 'la la, we can't hear you'.
When the bank mentioned that their figures showed TIE grossly underestimating the required capital (by at least 50%) for the project, TIE just stuck their fingers in their ears and sang 'la la, we still can't hear you'.
I laughed when I saw a tram stuck in traffic at the weekend!
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