- Transport in Edinburgh
Edinburgh constitutes a major transport hub in east central Scotland and as such is at the centre of a multi-modal transport network comprising road, rail and air communications connecting the city with the rest ofScotland , theUnited Kingdom and internationally.Transport is an area under the control of the
Scottish Parliament andScottish Government who have the statutory ability to control, fund and regulate transport projects of national importance within the city. Transport Edinburgh is Edinburgh City Council's executive body responsible for the development of all transport projects within the city and brings a number of key transport providers together under the one umbrella. ["Transport Edinburgh" [http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/transportedinburgh/About/index.html] Transport Edinburgh 2006 - About us] .Public Transport inEdinburgh is generally extensive and efficient, but problems such astraffic congestion and the delivery of key transport projects in the city are a prevailing concern.Airport
Edinburgh's International Airport (
Turnhouse ) is located 8 miles to the west of the city centre, on the A8trunk road , and is the principal international gateway to the city, as well as the busiest airport in Scotland. It is owned and operated byBAA plc . Theairport serves a wide range of domestic and an expanding number of European and transatlantic destinations, currently handling in excess of 9 million passengers per year. In1991 over 2m passengers used the airport - this represents an annual increase in excess of 10%. Forecasts suggest that the number of passengers using the airport will further increase to nearer 26 million by2030 ["The Scotsman 2005" [http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/business.cfm?id=551632005] £400m bill to expand airport] .The main terminal building was built in
1977 by the Edinburgh architectRobert Matthew , and was substantially extended and modernised in the late 1990s. A £14m project to construct a new international pier, further increasing capacity, is expected to near completion in late2006 [ "BAA Edinburgh Airport Press Release 2005" [http://www.edinburghairport.com/portal/controller/dispatcher.jsp?CiID=0da909ba79415010VgnVCM10000036821c0a____&CtID=a22889d8759a0010VgnVCM200000357e120a____&Ct=B2C_CT_PRESS_RELEASE&ChPath=EDI^About%20BAA%20Edinburgh^Media%20Centre^News%20Releases^Results] Capital Airport Piers into the Future] .A
masterplan for the growth of the airport was published in May2005 ["BAA Edinburgh Airport 2005" [http://www.edinburghairport.com/portal/controller/dispatcher.jsp?CiID=0e440d1d9a914010VgnVCM10000036821c0a____&CtID=448c6a4c7f1b0010VgnVCM200000357e120a____&Ct=B2C_CT_GENERAL&RootCh=About%20BAA%20Edinburgh&Ch=Airport+Expansion&ChID=28ba720252c33010VgnVCM100000147e120a____&ChPath=EDI%5EAbout+BAA+Edinburgh%5EAirport+Expansion&ChIDPath=1c0697dc2eb12010VgnVCM100000147e120a____%5Eb5a697dc2eb12010VgnVCM100000147e120a____%5E28ba720252c33010VgnVCM100000147e120a____] Edinburgh Airport Masterplan] indicating that the main terminal building will need to be increased in size, new aircrafthangars , maintenance facilities, andcargo handling facilities will need to be constructed. The possibility of a secondrunway built on land to the north of the current airfield, has been mooted, to cope with the forecast growth in air traffic. A newair traffic control tower was opened in October2005 .Currently the airport is connected to the city centre by a dedicated bus link operating from the main terminal building to Waverley Bridge. A new tram link from the airport to the city centre and Leith is currently under construction, and is due to commence operation in 2011.
Bus transport
Bus services
Bus transportation is the principal means of public transport in
Edinburgh , with an extensivebus network, covering all parts of the city, itssuburbs and the surrounding city-region. Edinburgh is widely regarded as having one of the most extensive bus services in the country, with some of the highest patronage figures in theUK outsideLondon ["Tramtime" [http://tt.tiedinburgh.co.uk/faqs.html] Why Trams and not more buses?] . The number of bus trips taken by Edinburgh residents in any one year is 188, more than double the national average, with a growth rate of 27% over the period1998 to2005 , representing an annual increase of around 4% ["Edinburgh Evening News, June 2005" [http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=707982005] Bus Passenger Growth stays in the fast lane]There are two major bus operators in Edinburgh:
*
Lothian Buses - the main provider of bus services in the city.
*First Edinburgh - Part of the First Group.Lothian Regional Transport was the precursor to
Lothian Buses and was formed in1986 after bus services were de-regulated by theTransport Act 1985 . Lothian Regional Transport changed its title toLothian Buses in 2000. It is a publicly owned company with Edinburgh City Council having the 91% controlling stake in the company with the remainder divided between the local authorities ofMidlothian ,East Lothian andWest Lothian . Lothian Buses also run the Airport Express shuttle between Edinburgh Airport and the city centre ["Airport Express Bus Service" [http://www.flybybus.com/] Edinburgh Airport to the City Centre] , as well as a network of night buses operating on popular routes between 11pm and 6am.Both First Edinburgh and
Lothian Buses operate a day ticket system, allowing unlimited travel on their buses during the day for £2.50. A single flat fare of £1.10 for adults (£1 if bought from an on-street ticket machine before boarding), 60p for children between 5 and 15, applies to one-way journeys with most buses running at intervals of between 10 and 20 minutes during the day and a reduced service after 7pm. ["Edinburgh University Accommodation Services" [http://www.accom.ed.ac.uk/accom_info/useful/edinburgh/PUBLIC_TRANSPORT_IN_EDINBURGH.pdf] Public Transport in Edinburgh]As well as local services within the city, several companies offer
inter city services betweenEdinburgh and various other cities withinScotland and the UK.Scottish Citylink offer services fromEdinburgh to places such asStirling , Perth andGlasgow , andMegabus operates budget services betweenEdinburgh andGlasgow andLondon .Edinburgh's main bus station is located on
St Andrews Square in the city.Bus corridors
In December 2004, a 1.5km long
guided bus way - "Fastlink" - was initiated between the west Edinburgh suburbs ofStenhouse andSouth Gyle , parallel to the railway line from Haymarket toSouth Gyle . There are four passenger halts on the busway atBroomhouse East,Broomhouse West andSaughton East and West. It is expected that the busway will be used in future for the 3-lineEdinburgh Tram Network . Tram Line 2, which will run from the city centre to Newbridge in the west of Edinburgh, will eventually run on the corridor presently occupied by the Fastlink guideway. ["Transport Edinburgh Press Release December 2004" Launch of Edinburgh Fastlink]Priority bus lanes on arterial routes into Edinburgh city centre, known as "Greenways", because of the distinctive green
tarmac used to surface them - were introduced in 1997. Currently the main Greenways into the city are on the following routes:A
Traffic Regulation order bans general traffic from using these priority lanes during the day, restricting use to buses, taxis andbicycle s. Red lines at the side of the road prohibit parking and stopping on Greenways as a measure to reduce thecongestion faced by normal bus lanes caused by on-streetparking . Most Greenways are operational between 7.30am to 9.30am and 16.00pm to 18.30pm Monday to Friday and 8.30am to 6.30pm on Saturdays. There are exceptions to this e.g. on Glasgow Road the Greenway is not operational at all on a Saturday and Sunday. On the main route intoEdinburgh city centre from thewest - the A8 - 55% of the 6.7km route is inbound bus lane, whilst 54% is outbound bus lane ["Buspriority.org" [http://www.buspriority.org/greenways.htm] Greenways - Edinburgh Case Study] .Lothian Buses and First Edinburgh are the main providers of bus services using the greenways scheme, with services every 12 minutes.Rail
Edinburgh Waverley
Edinburgh Waverley is the main
Network Rail station serving the city. Located in a ravine the heart of the city centre close toPrinces Street Gardens , it serves over 14 million passenger journeys per year [ "Network Rail" [http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/807.aspx] Edinburgh Waverley] . It is a principal station on theEast Coast Main Line betweenLondon andAberdeen , and is the terminus as well as start point for many rail services withinScotland .National Express East Coast serves the mainEdinburgh toLondon route.First ScotRail are the operating company for many routes withinScotland .First Transpennine Express andCross Country provide the remaining services to long distance destinations via theWest Coast Main Line .Trains leave Waverley in two directions:
* Eastward for the suburban services toNewcraighall and theNorth Berwick branch line, and the East Coast Main Line to London King's Cross. The proposed reopening of the Waverley Route, which will reconnect several towns in theScottish Borders to the railway network, will also enter Edinburgh from the east.* Westward the line runs through a cutting near the cliffs of
Edinburgh Castle and through Princes Street Gardens. It then passes through a tunnel before emerging at Haymarket Station. From there lines lead north to Fife,Dundee andAberdeen over the Forth Bridge, west toGlasgow Queen Street railway station via Falkirk High andLenzie orGlasgow Central Station , via Shotts, Motherwell & Cambuslang, north-west toStirling ,Dunblane andInverness , and south-west via Carstairs toCarlisle and theWest Coast Main Line . Another short branch line runs westward from Newbridge Junction to the town ofBathgate , which was re-opened after being closed by theBeeching axe . This is currently the subject of an extension proposal to connect with the Glasgow suburban network at Airdrie, opening up a third railway link to Glasgow.History
Edinburgh at one stage had a well-developed rail network. Starting with the
Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway , whose terminus was at St Leonards on the east of the Old Town, and the Edinburgh, Leith & Newhaven Railway (later the Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway), whose terminus was at Canal Street (on the site of today's Waverley Station). TheEdinburgh and Glasgow Railway opened in1842 . By the mid-20th century competition between theNorth British Railway and theCaledonian Railway , together with the conservatism of the city's local government, combined to make the network very inefficient, with much duplication of routes. Many stations closed down and, following theBeeching Axe in the late 1960s, the city was left with a skeleton network. The South Suburban line was left in place, mainly as a bypass for freight services to avoid the city centre. New stations have been opened on the existing lines at Brunstane, Newcraighall, South Gyle and Edinburgh Park in recent years.Other stations and services
Edinburgh itself has a small suburban rail network - the backbone of which is the
Edinburgh Crossrail - which commenced operations in 2002, running in aneast -west axis across the city, linking the stations of Edinburgh Park, in the west with Haymarket, Waverley (in the city centre) and Brunstane and Newcraighall, to the east. The other stations in the city are South Gyle, Dalmeny (forSouth Queensferry ), Slateford, Kingsknowe, Wester Hailes andCurriehill .Haymarket railway station is the second major station in Edinburgh and is located in the heart of the west end of the city, which is an area of many offices and businesses, and is thus a popular station with
commuters and busy at peak periods. Plans for the complete development of Haymarket are being developed, partly in response to the need for the station to improve access for disabled passenegers.Both stations are served by trains travelling onward to other destinations in
Scotland from Edinburgh Waverley, operated byFirst ScotRail :Road network
The
A720 Edinburgh City Bypass skirts the southern fringes of the city. The road was constructed between 1981 and 1990 and opened to motorists in sections. The road is one of the main trunk roads in east centralScotland linking vitally important routes such as the M8, the main route west toGlasgow , the A1 the primary route south to fromScotland toEngland , and the M9 toStirling . The City Bypass is linked by the A902 to the A90 leading north out of the city.Edinburgh itself is the hub of the
A-road numbering system within Scotland, and many radial routes lead in and out of the city. Routes radiating from Edinburgh are as follows (in a clockwise direction):*A1 - to
Berwick upon Tweed and over the border into England.
*A68 - toJedburgh then over the border into England as far as Darlington.
*A7 - toGalashiels andHawick .
*A701 - toPeebles .
*A702 - toCarlisle , via M74.
*A70 - toLanark .
*A71 - toKilmarnock .
*A8 - toGlasgow (via M8) andStirling (via M9).
*A90 - toForth Road Bridge , for access toFife , Perth,Dundee and northwards.In order to alleviate traffic congestion in many areas,
Park and Ride facilities have been provided at several points on the periphery of the city.Traffic congestion
Like many cities,
traffic congestion is a significant problem in and around Edinburgh, with 160,000 vehicles entering the city every day which is forecast to rise to 180,000 by 2016 ["Transport Edinburgh Congestion Charge Plan" [http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/transportedinburgh/congestion/faqs/faqs.html#cordon] Why is the City of Edinburgh Council proposing a congestion charging scheme?] . This is especially problematic in therush hour periods of between 7.30am and 9.30am and 4pm -6pm. Increasing levels of traffic congestion inEdinburgh are generally attributed to the city's strongpopulation growth as well as an expanding economy ["Scottish Executive, 2003" [http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/News-Extras/126] Scotland's Cities Review] . Areas in the future which are expected to suffer acutely from traffic congestion in Edinburgh include the western outskirts of the city, the waterfront, and the residential areas of the South East where there is a large amount of housing development. ["Edinburgh City Council, 2002" [http://download.edinburgh.gov.uk/traffic/A_Vision_for_Edinburgh.pdf] A Vision for Edinburgh] Notorious traffic hotspots in Edinburgh include the Straiton and Dreghorn junctions on theEdinburgh City Bypass and theA8000 from theForth Road Bridge . The NewbridgeRoundabout on the A8 western approach to the city and the Gyle Roundabout close toEdinburgh Park are other bottlenecks in the west of the city which suffer from congestion. The office and business developments atEdinburgh Park themselves generate a large amount of traffic in that part of the city, with the newRoyal Bank of Scotland headquarters opening at Gogarburn ensuring that upwards of 20,000 people now work in this area ["Scottish Executive, 2002" [http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2002/08/15238/9843] West Edinburgh Strategy] . In the city centre itself, narrow, cobbled and winding streets in the Old Town as well as increasing restrictions on vehicles entering the city and strict parking regulations mean that traffic hotspots are common in the city centre itself.Queen Street ,Charlotte Square and the western end ofPrinces Street are areas of significant traffic delay.olutions
Park and Ride
Park and Ride Facilities have been provided on the outskirts of the city, such as at Ingliston near Newbridge in the west of Edinburgh with spaces for 535 cars, as well as at Hermiston on theEdinburgh City Bypass ,Newcraighall in the east of the city and at Ferrytoll inFife . The schemes consist of large surface car parks off the main roads into the city where buses take passengers from these peripheral facilities into the city centre via a number dedicated stops, thus cutting down on the number of cars making the journey into the congested city centre ["Ingliston and Hermiston Park and Ride" [http://www.lothianbuses.co.uk/parkandride.shtml] Edinburgh Park and Ride] . The Park and Ride schemes at Hermiston and Ingliston have been widely regarded as successful, with each attracting more than 500 motorists per day, preventing more than 50,000 car journeys into the city ["Edinburgh Evening News April 2006" [http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=534592006] Park-and-ride sites keep 500 motorists off roads every day] .Edinburgh Congestion Charge
Following on from the implementation of the
London congestion charge in February 2003, Edinburgh City Council announced plans to introduce a road tolls scheme to be put in place on main routes into the city. A postal referendum of Edinburgh residents was held between7 February -21 February 2005 , with 74.4% of those voting no, announced on22 February 2005 . The system would have operated in a broadly similar fashion to the one inLondon , with two cordons - an inner cordon and an outer cordon operating from Monday to Friday. A flat charge of £2 would have applied to vehicles entering the city boundary - by passing the outer cordon, or those entering the city centre by passing the inner cordon. This charge would have applied no matter how many times a vehicle crossed both cordons. Cameras with automatic number plate recognitiontechnology would have been placed at the entry to both cordons, which would record the registration numbers of vehicles passing them. At the end of each day numbers would have been recorded against received payments. Paying would have been done electronically via theinternet ,text message or at specialised payment terminals in shops, where daily, weekly, monthly and yearly passes would have been available.The proposal faced strong opposition from city centre retailers who were concerned about the impact it would have on their trade as well as a number of political parties. Following the no vote, the City council abandoned plans to introduce road tolls in
Edinburgh .Improvements to public transport
In an attempt to discourage car use and increase patronage of public transport -
Transport Edinburgh , in the integrated transport delivery authority ofEdinburgh City Council has embarked upon an extensive drive to improvepublic transport in the city. These include new railway stations, improvements to roads, pavements and footways, easier ticketing arrangements on buses, newbus shelter s,pedestrian crossing s and refuges, easy access buses, car parking payment bymobile phone and areal time bus tracker service in place at manybus stop s and bus interchanges in the city ["Transport Edinburgh, 2006" [http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/transportedinburgh/picture/projects/projects.html] Transport Edinburgh Projects] . This is in addition to the forthcomingEdinburgh Tram Network , major improvements to Edinburgh Waverley and Haymarket railway stations, including new platforms to cope with new routes and increased passenger numbers as well as new railway lines opening to Airdrie andBathgate , andTweedbank in theScottish Borders .Other transport
Cycle network
Since 1999 the percentage of all trips in the city of Edinburgh made by
bicycle has risen by an eighth, however travelling by bicycle still accounts for less than 2% of all trips taken byEdinburgh residents, with bicycle use lower than in many otherEurope an cities such asAmsterdam orParis . ["Edinburgh City Council Local Transport Strategy" [http://download.edinburgh.gov.uk/transport/LTS_Ch6_8.pdf] Chapter 6.8 - Cycling] Like most cities cycling is seen as a clean, environmentally friendly method oftransportation , which needs little space, the provision of few, inexpensive facilities as well as a means of attempting to cut down ontraffic congestion .At present there are around 75km of
off-road cycleways in theEdinburgh area, with a similar length on on-road cycleways in the city. ["Edinburgh City Council Local Transport Strategy" [http://download.edinburgh.gov.uk/transport/LTS_Ch6_8.pdf] Chapter 6.8 - Cycling] . Greenways, which are the car-free bus corridors on the main radial routes into the city centre double up as cycle lanes.Many improvements in facilities for cyclists in Edinburgh can be attributed to
Spokes, the Lothian Cycle Campaign , formed in 1977.Pedestrians
Given that
Edinburgh is a small, relatively walkable city, travelling by foot is a possible, if necessary means of transport for the majority of citizens who live, work or visit the city. Like most urban zones pedestrian density is at its highest in the commercial core of the city, where there the majority of shops,businesses andoffices are located, with pedestrian density tailing off rapidly through theInner City , to the suburbs. In Edinburgh, pedestrian density is at its highest aroundPrinces Street , George Street, Rose Street, theRoyal Mile , the North and South Bridges as well as George IV Bridge. These are the areas where the majority of city centre shops have their premises, as well as bars, restaurants and pubs, as well as tourist attractions such as theScott Monument ,Edinburgh Castle and thePalace of Holyroodhouse are situated.Unlike
Glasgow most of the city centre is not pedestrianised, with the exception of Rose Street (parallel toPrinces Street ), which is pedestrianised along its length. There is, however, a plan to pedestrianise a large section of theRoyal Mile - one of the main tourist streets in Edinburgh- from the junction of George IV Bridge (Melbourne Place) to the junction with North Bridge ["The Scotsman, October 2005" [http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=2121312005] Capital approves £2m clean-up for Royal Mile] . This is an area with pavement cafes and bars with tables outside.Future plans
Following elections to the
Scottish Parliament in May 2007, theScottish National Party formed a new minority government. As of June 2007, both the tram project and rail link to Edinburgh Airport (described below) were scrutinised by theScottish Executive with a view to possible cancellation, largely on grounds of cost. TheAuditor General for Scotland was asked to consider the issue of value for money and gave a favourable response for the tram project.Trams
It is anticipated that by July 2011
Edinburgh will have aLight Rapid Transit line, using newtrams , connecting the Edinburgh International Airport on the western edge of the city, with Haymarket,Princes Street andSt Andrews Square in the city centre, and the redeveloped waterfront areas ofLeith , Granton and Western Harbour.The planning, design and construction of the tram network is being overseen by the
City of Edinburgh Council 's wholly owned company Transport initiatives edinburgh (tie). TheScottish Parliament gave legislative consent to the parliamentary bills, required for the project to commence, in March 2006. Construction of the network was originally scheduled to start in Spring2007 , beginning with the repositioning of the network of gas and water mains that will lie under the proposed routes. Work finally started in July 2007.The estimated cost of the scheme is anticipated to be in the region of £592m, with a contribution of between £450m-£500m from the
Scottish Executive and £45m from Edinburgh City Council ["Transport Edinburgh 2006" [http://tt.tiedinburgh.co.uk/faqs.html] Trams in Edinburgh - Frequently Asked Questions] .There has been recent controversy surrounding the construction of the tram network, with worries over escalating costs ["Edinburgh Evening News January 19 2006" [http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=91942006] Costs derail capital tram line] and disruptions due to construction ["Edinburgh Evening News
May 22 2006 " [http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=607&id=759532006] The road's just too tram steep] ["Edinburgh Evening News May 16 2006" [http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=607&id=728602006] Is there trouble in the pipeline for trams network?] . Following a vote in theScottish Parliament on 27 June 2007, it was agreed to continue with the tram project - despite the opposition of the SNP minority government. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/6243158.stm BBC NEWS | Scotland | Edinburgh and East | Climbdown after transport defeat ] ]Edinburgh Airport Rail Link (EARL)
There is currently no rail link to Edinburgh Airport, with the nearest railway stations being at Edinburgh Park and
South Gyle , some distance from the airport.The former Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition administration in Scotland (1999-2007) proposed a rail link, with plans for completion by 2010. Such a link was viewed as necessary because of the growth of road traffic in the immediate vicinity of the airport, meaning the existing road network in the area is operating at maximum capacity or nearing capacity. Furthermore, in comparison to other
BAA plc airports in theUK a relatively low proportion of Edinburgh Airport passengers use public transport (19%) with most journeys being by private car (49%) ["Edinburgh Airport Rail Link Factsheet May 2006 [http://www.earlproject.com/downloads/factsheet_may06.pdf] Why is Earl needed?] . The rail link would have been connected to the main Edinburgh – Glasgow line by a new railway line viaWinchburgh and Edinburgh Park station. A second link would have joined theFife lines to this route prior to reaching the airport station. The rail link would also pass under the runway and split westward near Kirkliston towardsGlasgow andStirling and eastward toFife and the North, and would require the construction of a new subsurface railway station in front of the terminal building. ["Earlproject" [http://www.earlproject.com/plan.html] Edinburgh Airport Rail Link Plan] . A parliamentary bill was submitted to theScottish Parliament ["Scottish Parliament Private Bills 2006" [http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/bills/58-edinAirRail/b58s2-introd.pdf] Edinburgh Airport Rail Link Bill] which needed to be considered and approved before construction could take place. The Bill received Royal Assent on 19th April 2007 [ [http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/bills/58-edinAirRail/index.htm Edinburgh Airport Rail Link Bill] ] . Initial estimates suggested that the scheme would have cost around £500m ["Edinburgh Airport Rail Link Factsheet May 2006 [http://www.earlproject.com/downloads/factsheet_may06.pdf] Why is Earl needed?] .The new SNP minority administration planned to scrap EARL as a manifesto commitment. Following a vote in the Scottish Parliament on 27 June 2007, it now appears unlikely that the EARL project will be implemented in its original form, however plans to build an overground station with direct rail access from the Fife line are expected to be progressed. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/6243158.stm BBC NEWS | Scotland | Edinburgh and East | Climbdown after transport defeat ] ]
High Speed Rail
Community and business leaders inEdinburgh have voiced support for the construction of a high speed rail link betweenGlasgow andEdinburgh to reduce current journey times betweenScotland 's two main cities ["The Scotsman, January 2006" [http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=4862006] Bullet train vision triggers call for extra funds from residents] . CurrentlyFirst ScotRail operate a shuttle service, every 15 minutes between 7am and 7pm, between the two cities on the Glasgow to Edinburgh (via Falkirk High) line, with journeys taking around 50 minutes. It is estimated that a high speed MAGLEV system would halve the journey time between the two cities ["The Scotman March 2006" [http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=353742006] We can beat the bullet - train chief] . The UK Government has also conducted a feasibility study into ascertaining whether a high speed MAGLEV network betweenEdinburgh andLondon would be economically beneficial and thus cutting down on the growth of domestic air traffic between the two cities. Such a system would, however require a complete new infrastructure as it is not compatible with the existing railinfrastructure in place at the current time.History
Edinburgh formerly had an extensive municipally owned tram system.
Edinburgh Corporation Tramways were cabled-hauled until the early 1920s, then converted to electric traction. The last tram on Edinburgh's original system operated in 1956.ee also
*
Economy of Edinburgh
*First ScotRail
*Transport in Scotland Notes and References
Links
* [http://www.capitalreview.co.uk/economic_data_transport.html Edinburgh Transport Statistics]
* [http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet Edinburgh City Council]
* [http://www.transport-edinburgh.org.uk/ Transport Edinburgh]
* [http://www.tie.ltd.uk/ Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (tiE)]
* [http://www.tramtime.com Edinburgh Tram Construction]
* [http://www.lothianbuses.co.uk/ Lothian Buses]
* [http://www.edinburghairport.com BAA Edinburgh Airport]
* [http://www.firstgroup.com/scotrail FirstScotrail]
* [http://www.blitzandblight.com/scotland/eastern/fastlink/ blitzandblight.com / Fastlink]
*cite news
title = Edinburgh Transport Plans
publisher = The Scotsman
url = http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=607
accessdate = 2007-10-02
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.