WE’VE HAD the huge cost overruns and delays on the half built original project. The millions of pounds and years spent by Lord Hardie examining what went wrong. And the double disruption and cost of digging up Leith twice to get to Newhaven.
After twenty years you might have expected some respite, but Edinburgh’s council seems determined to press ahead with more lines although the planning for this resembles Railroad Tycoon rather than the construction of real life infrastructure.
Most recently we’ve seen a pointless consultation over potential routes to Granton. Despite the main proposal being a former railway line, safeguarded for forty years for transport use, and already with Parliamentary permission for trams, this got the NIMBYs very upset. Leading that charge was Edinburgh’s Lib Dems who see any opportunity of something people might not like in a particular neighbourhood as a means to collect your data by starting a petition.
If you’ve given the Lib Dems your email in north west Edinburgh you are now likely to hear from them for eternity. But rest assured they are happy to back more tram lines in principle – just not on that route.
When all this came to the Council’s Transport Committee I could hear Vic and Bob shouting “just wouldn’t let it lie”. The discussion encompassed potential routes north and south of the original line and the spending of £36m of your money on an outline business case (OBC). But that won’t report until at least 2031.
If the OBC is positive (a certainty when the Council is writing it to promote a Council project that keeps officers in a job), they want to spend a further £50m on a final business case – date to be confirmed. This will get the Council to a point where it can think about spending £3bn it doesn’t have on the actual construction.
After some horse trading, the gung-ho Labour and Greens, and the SNP, combined to push on with more taxpayer spending. The SNP amending things to wait a few extra months while they make it a regional project with neighbouring local authorities as their Scottish Government colleagues instructed.
Yet, two things are certain. The first is there is no money. The Council can’t raise £3bn itself. Meanwhile, our two hard-pressed governments can’t stump up when they have huge lists of projects awaiting funding, burgeoning welfare bills they can’t afford and are already taxing us to the hilt. Even if they could afford it this type of spending is a national project so the final say so is a matter for taxpayers across Scotland. Or even the UK given the benefits we get from the Barnet Formula.
Secondly, this is such a long-term fantasy that the costs and workings are likely to be well out of date before they are printed. Even the Council’s own optimistic timescales suggest that this year’s Primary One intake will be sitting their Highers by the time the Council asks for the funding that doesn’t exist.
My Conservative Group proposed we just stop this nonsense now. Let’s not waste your money with no prospect of the spend being useful. Let’s listen to the Edinburgh public who expressed opposition to more tram projects. And let’s listen to the heritage groups raising legitimate concerns about the impact on the city.
In contrast, the various left-wing parties will waste your time and money on trams.
This will remain the biggest political story in Edinburgh for the next twenty years. You can stop all this nonsense at the Council elections next May but the only political party with a track record, that sits in the Council and offers a promise to do so is the Edinburgh Conservatives. If you live in Edinburgh, or even the city region, you should consider this when you cast your vote.
Established in 2006 and celebrating twenty years, ThinkScotland is not for profit relying on donations to publish our wide range of opinions. You can subscribe to our FREE newsletter here – share and follow us on ‘X’ here – like and comment on facebook here and make a donation here. Every contribution helps to meet our overheads.
Photo of an Edinburgh Tram at the Edinburgh Airport park and ride, by Wendy via Adobe Stock
