Edinburgh Trams start running every five minutes during rush hours

Edinburgh Trams have started running every five minutes during the morning and evening rush hours.

They now run more frequently between 07:30 to 09:30 and 16:30 to 18:30 rather than the previous frequency of eight to 10 minutes.

The move follows a successful trial carried out during the weeks of 11 and 18 July.

The change will see an extra three return journeys added during both the morning and evening rush hours.

It means there will be a total of 1,500 extra passenger spaces.

The move comes a week after it was revealed that the cost of the inquiry into the tram works has exceeded £3.7m.

The probe is investigating what went wrong with the £776m project which went massively over-budget and was completed five years later than planned.

14km long

Lea Harrison, Edinburgh Trams general manager, said: "The trams have proved very popular since they were introduced, with passenger numbers increasing all the time.

"Although this is a modest increase in our capacity on the line, it is still an important step in increasing the frequency of the service and providing more capacity during peak times so we can help even more people travel along the route."

George Lowder, chief executive of Transport for Edinburgh, said: "We are very pleased to make this change. A lot of work has gone into making sure the new journeys would integrate seamlessly with other traffic and I appreciate the efforts that all the staff at Edinburgh Trams and City of Edinburgh Council have put into this.

"We will maintain our focus on improving the service on the existing line for the benefit of commuters, residents and visitors alike."

Lesley Hinds, City of Edinburgh Council's transport convener, said: "Coming on the back of a strong passenger and financial performance, this is more welcome news for the trams.

"The increased demand and our ability to boost capacity so that even more people can travel by tram at the busiest times of the working day are both positive signs for the service."

Edinburgh Trams has a fleet of 27 and currently employs 130 staff including drivers, Ticketing Services Assistants (TSAs), control centre operators and maintenance engineers.

The tram line is 14km long with 15 stops (16 once the Edinburgh Gateway is complete) and a journey from the airport to the city centre takes about 35 minutes.