City Centre to Edinburgh BioQuarter and Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
The proposed route to the south of the city would be via Princes Street, North & South Bridges, Clerk Street, Newington Road, Cameron Toll, and Old Dalkeith Road. This route is safeguarded for tram as part of the Local Development Plan 2030.
A route along Princes Street would make use of existing tram infrastructure. and would solidify the status of Princes Street as an important bus, tram and rail interchange corridor.
A number of other routes were considered with two other routes through the city centre considered in more detail but are not being taken forward at this time. These are:
Via Lothian Road
The route runs from Lothian Road, along Melville Drive and Hope Park Terrace, and linking onto South Clerk Street. This is a poorer choice when compared to The Bridges as construction and operating costs would be lower for The Bridges corridor and the impacts on traffic / congestion would be significantly higher on the Lothian Road corridor. It should also be noted that under the Edinburgh City Centre Transformation Plan, The Mound is designated as the primary route for active travel, and North / South Bridge is designated as a public transport corridor.
Via Morrison Street
The route extends from Haymarket along Morrison Street, Bread Street, Lauriston Street, Lauriston Place and Potterrow to Nicholson Square. It follows what is loosely termed the Innovation Mile. It picks up major sites of demand including The Exchange District, the proposed Exchange 2 and University of Edinburgh Lauriston and Central Campuses and the Edinburgh FutureInstitute in between. Further design development has highlighted a number of pinch points which make this scheme difficult to deliver in the short to medium term. These are West Port/ Lauriston Street, Bristo Square/ Potterrow/ Marshall Street and at Nicholson Square. Nevertheless, the route serves a key and expanding city centre corridor and so remains an important longer-term opportunity.
The proposed Princes Street route delivers shorter journey times compared to other city centre options, leading to reduced operating costs, alongside delivering improved connectivity from the South-East to Newhaven.
A junction would be created at Princes Street / South St Andrew Street, providing connection to the existing tram network.Space is limited at the east end of Princes Street for a tram to turn onto North Bridge. Initially, priority will be given to walking, wheeling and public transport but we will continue to explore options for cycling during project development.
A tram stop on North Bridge would link to Waverley Station via a lift. This would improve access for passengers with reduced mobility or with luggage and deliver improved connectivity with bus providers. This tram stop is forecast to be the busiest on the network. Download and read the North Bridge Structure Report (PDF).
On the North Bridge / South Bridge / Nicholson Street / Clerk Street section, the design would focus on improving walking and wheeling provision with widened footways. This is achieved by reducing the number of traffic lanes from four to three (or two where bus stops and loading is provided). Further work would be undertaken at OBC stage on parking and loading provision along this section, though it is likely parking and loading opportunities will be reduced on South Bridge in particular. Download and read the South Bridge Structures Report (PDF).
In line with the Edinburgh City Centre Transformation, North and South Bridge would become a public transport corridor. High-quality segregated cycling routes are being provided on adjacent streets as part of separate projects in the city centre (such as Meadows to George Street). Further south, current temporary active travel provision would be removed but the aim would be for high quality cycling infrastructure on a parallel route to be delivered as part of the tram project.
Between Newington Road, Minto Street, Mayfield Gardens, and Craigmillar Park Road traffic lanes would be reduced from four to three or two with right turn filter lanes provided where needed. We will do more work on parking and loading options along this section in discussion with local businesses and residents during project development.
Along with Network Rail, we are keen to explore a ‘tram-train’ (a light rail vehicle that can operate on tram and rail tracks) concept with the potential to reintroduce passenger services on the Edinburgh South Suburban Railway. Additional direct access to Edinburgh Airport would become a possiblility and a new connection between Balgreen and Murrayfield in the west and Brunstane of Newcraighall in the east.
The Edinburgh South Suburban Railway could serve both Niddrie and Fort Kinnaird, although it does not directly connect with Edinburgh BioQuarter or Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and so is not an alternative to the North-South tram route concept.
Careful consideration will be needed for access arrangements to side streets and buildings all along this southern corridor for safety reasons, and there may be some restrictions required e.g. one-way movements to avoid crossing tram tracks.The route would pass through the centre of Cameron Toll roundabout.
Beyond Cameron Toll the route is largely on-street along Old Dalkeith Road, mitigating potential impacts at Bridgend Farm, and wider tree loss. Improved cycle provision will form part of the construction of tram, and public transport and emergency vehicle access would be prioritised.