Trams pick up the pace as Princes Street tracks arrive

THE first set of tracks for Edinburgh's £545 million tram project is expected to be delivered to Princes Street within days.

After a series of setbacks elsewhere on the 11-mile route, it will be the first visible sign of progress which tram bosses hope will help win over the doubters.

The laying work is due to begin in the second week of June, making Princes Street the first to see tracks go down after false starts in Leith and Stenhouse.

News of the delivery was today welcomed by small business leaders, eager to see the work completed as quickly as possible.

And long-time tram opponent, deputy council leader Steve Cardownie, said tram bosses now had to make sure that the project was delivered as quickly and as close to budget as possible.

He said: "I'm sure supporters of the trams will be glad to finally see some evidence of the project above ground. That doesn't detract from the fact that it's an ill-conceived waste of public money.

"The arrival of the tracks will cheer those who thought they were going to be delivered by Santa Claus. It's now clear that more public money than first envisaged is to be spent on the project. We just have to try and ensure that companies don't try and plunder the public purse."

Michael Dixon, chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses in Edinburgh, said it was a welcome development. "It is nice to see something tangible after all the work that has been going on.

"The FSB was ready to welcome the track laying in January in Leith Walk, but is very glad it is now going ahead in Princes Street. We want to see this work completed as soon as possible."

Track laying had been expected to begin in January in Leith Walk and at Stenhouse, but has repeatedly been put back.

Earlier this year, former transport convener Phil Wheeler admitted that tracks are not likely to be laid in Leith until the autumn.

Tram bosses are understood to be concentrating their efforts on Princes Street as its closure remains the most high-profile example of the disruption caused by the project.

Earlier this month, the new chief executive of TIE said he expected public opinion to swing behind the project after the tracks – the first visible signs of the line – are laid.

Richard Jeffrey said he was also certain there would be clamour for tram extensions after the first line was opened.

It is expected that sections of Princes Street west of the Mound, which are currently closed to pedestrians, will be re-opened in the coming months as the track laying takes place.