Public consulted over Edinburgh trams extension

Edinburgh Council is seeking public views on the extension to the tram network

Plans to build a new tramline linking the north and south of Edinburgh have been put out for public consultation.

Edinburgh Council is trying to decide whether the route should run between Crewe Toll and the city centre via Orchard Brae and across the A-listed Dean Bridge, or along the former railway line and now pedestrian corridor at Roseburn Path.

The full line will connect Granton, in the north, and the Royal Infirmary and BioQuarter in the south east – with part of the route running over the refurbished North Bridge.

It is estimated the new line will cost between £2bn and £2.9bn, depending on which route is picked.

A 12-week consultation on the project opened on Monday.

The council said it would not definitively decide which route the tram would take but would "inform the strategic business case" presented to its transport and environment committee in 2026.

Campaigners have heavily criticised plans for the tramline to run through Roseburn Path, which previously formed part of the now-defunct north suburban railway line.

It has since become a popular cycling and walking route, however council officials nominated it as the "preferred" option for the tram extension last year.

That proposal would see "narrower" trams run on a single line away from the main road before linking with the current line near Haymarket, via a disused section of railway track.

The council said a "dedicated walking, wheeling and cycling corridor" would be incorporated into the design and segregated from the tramway by fencing.

They put the estimated cost to create that route at between £350m and £480m and said construction time would be quicker as it would avoid road closures.

But campaign groups, including Save the Roseburn Path, have said the impact on usage of the route, trees and wildlife would be "devastating" for users.

The council said it was considering two options for the proposed route

They argue the alternative route, via Orchard Brae, would be better suited to passenger capacity.

Under those proposals, the tram would run across the Crewe Toll roundabout from Granton, go past the Western General Hospital, up Orchard Brae and connect with the Princes Street tramline at Queensferry Road in the west end of the city.

Fewer trees would be uprooted by the development and an alternative cycling route would be created along the Roseburn Path.

However, it would also mean running the tram across the 193-year-old Dean Bridge, part of Edinburgh's Unesco world heritage site.

Further work would need to be undertaken to determine whether the 136m-long (446ft) structure – which is category A-listed – could cope with the additional capacity and weight of a tram line.

It would also involve the closure of several major roads during construction and would cost between £650m and £850m, according to council figures.

The last major extension of the tram network saw the line taken to Newhaven

The remainder of the extension, running to the south of the city centre, is proposed to go along Princes Street and connect with North Bridge.

It would then head towards Newington and on to its terminus at the Royal Infirmary via Cameron Toll.

The plans also propose creating a lift which would connect the tram stop on North Bridge with Waverley Station below.

Further south, the tram would then pass through the centre of the Cameron Toll roundabout and then along Old Dalkeith Road to its final stop.

An additional extension to East and Midlothian will also be considered.

The consultation runs until 17 November and can be viewed online.

'Bold and ambitious'

The last major extension to the tram network opened in 2023, with trams heading down Leith Walk towards Newhaven.

The original line opened in 2014 after years of delays and skyrocketing costs.

A public inquiry into the project was announced shortly after the first line opened, but did not publish its report until 2023.

Transport convener, Stephen Jenkinson, said projections for Edinburgh's population growth over the next two decades meant "doing nothing was not an option".

He said the tram network extension was a "bold and ambitious solution".

He added: "Edinburgh is the fastest growing city in Scotland, with more than 60,000 new residents expected over the next 20 years.

"Whilst this shift is a true sign of our success, it brings real pressure on our communities, and crucially on the city's transport infrastructure on which we all rely.

"The new developments we will see along the tram route will be key to Edinburgh's prosperity for generations to come."