City Council highlights how the ‘South Sub’ feasibility study complements the tram proposal
Next week the Council’s TEC will meet to recommend producing a Strategic Business case for the North-South tram extension. Councillors are advised to take forward the Strategic Business case for the southern section, from the City Centre to the Edinburgh BioQuarter, whilst keeping the whole North-South tram route on the table for later.
The council recognises that the southern section of the tram proposal both supports, and is supported by, the scheme to reopen the ‘South Sub’.
Tram Trains for Edinburgh (‘TTfE’) strongly supports a full tram network, that would have both the Council’s North-South extension and the South Sub at its heart. Connected at Cameron Toll, the two lines would serve both the city and the wider region, reducing congestion and providing fast, efficient and ‘green’ public transport for all our residents.
TTfE notes that the Council highlights major benefits from the tram project - addressing poor public transport in relatively deprived areas of SE Edinburgh, and the economic development potential from the trams project – notably the Edinburgh BioQuarter that aims to provide thousands of new jobs. However, the South Sub project would equally target both those objectives – better public transport for SE Edinburgh and connectivity to the BioQuarter.
Rob Falcon, Chair of Tram Trains for Edinburgh, said:
"We welcome the Council’s recognition that the next steps for both the tram extension and the South Sub are ‘complementary’ business cases, but the reality is that the schemes themselves are complementary and need to be taken forward together, as an ambitious plan to radically improve public transport across the Lothian region. 2 + 2 really does make 5 – we need both lines to provide multiple journey options from a hub at Cameron Toll”.
Notes for editors:
Tram Trains for Edinburgh is a constituted campaign group arguing for the reopening of the South Suburban railway across the south side of Edinburgh, using tram-trains; whilst also advocating for a mass transit network for the region, including the city tram extension. Tram-trains combine the flexibility and accessibility of trams whilst being able to use existing rail routes.
Any other queries to:
Rob Falcon, Chair
Tram Trains for Edinburgh