EDINBURGH | Public Transport

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lpioe

· #3 · Aug 13, 2006

large variety in designs

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elkram

· #4 · Aug 13, 2006

Don't ever have one of our city's bus drivers try out one of your doubledeckers coz I'd reckon whomever were selected here would drive so bad as to cause loss of life in the stairwell(s?)

Busses get dreadfully crowded here, passengers beyond the driver right up to the front door . . . bus-riding can be really weird here.

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Kolothos

· #5 · Nov 4, 2012 (Edited by Moderator)

Edinburgh - the capital of Scotland, and home to almost half a million people.

Situated in east-central Scotland, it forms the centre of one of the central belt's two primary metropolitan areas, and is one of Scotland's fastest growing cities. It is a very different city to Glasgow, and this shows very well through it's public transport system.

Currently, there is only one mode of public transport in the capital, and that is bus - and it's a very good bus service at that. Buses are run by Lothian Buses, Scotland's only municipal bus company. It is owned mostly by the City of Edinburgh council, with the remaining 8.99% being owned by the East Lothian and Midlothian councils. First Group also run some services within the city.

The city is currently building a tram line from Edinburgh International Airport, in the west of the city, to York Place, in the cities New Town. The new tram line will be fully integrated with the Lothian Buses network, and the two modes will come under the same ownership and organisation.

There is no true urban rail service within the City of Edinburgh, like in Greater Glasgow, but the capital is served by a number of commuter routes from the north and the west. Currently a railway link to Carlisle, the Waverley Line, is being reinstated, which will allow services into Edinburgh from the Borders region of Scotland.

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Fatfield

· #6 · Nov 5, 2012

More info can be found here - http://www.edinburghtrams.com/

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Kolothos

· #7 · Nov 5, 2012

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Trams are to start running between Gogar and Edinburgh Airport at the end of November!

:banana:

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/198495-edinburgh-trams-to-start-running-from-gogar-depot-to-the-airport/

Also, a video explaining the route.

Plenty of great photos by forum contributors from Edinburgh on this thread. Well worth a look. I hope Moschops and Leki don't mind if I put a few previews on here. :cheers:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=257745&page=44

Princes Street - Leki

Princes Street - Moschops

Haymarket - Moschops

Ingliston - Leki

RBS - Leki

Gogar Depot - Leki

That's just a taste of the images on that thread. Feel free to join in with the discussion!

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Apoc89

· #8 · Nov 5, 2012

Kolothos said:
Trams are to start running between Gogar and Edinburgh Airport at the end of November!

:banana:

Really? I've always been under the impression that the whole tram project's stuck in limbo for the next few years at least. Awesome news if true! The UK outside of London really needs as much rail-based local transport as it can get.

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Kolothos

· #9 · Nov 5, 2012

The project was in limbo, and went through quite a bad time (shoddy engineering works, organisational and politcal wranglings.. and the rising cost and construction time that came with that..), but since Transport Scotland took over, the rate of progress has been astounding, as you can see from the above construction pictures.

I should add that the trams will only be tested between Edinburgh Airport and Gogar. No passenger services til 2014 at the latest, but recent reports say that the whole line will be up and running during next winter, which is fantastic news.

Edinburgh will probably be needing a few years to get over the whole ordeal of the tram construction (it was meant to be done two years ago..), and hopefully it will be extended into Leith and the Southside in the future.

And here's hoping it's success paves the way for the introduction of light rail in Glasgow!

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Kot Behemot

· #10 · Nov 5, 2012

Apoc89 said:
The UK outside of London really needs as much rail-based local transport as it can get.

I was always wondering why isn't that so.
I was thinking that it's a different culture of transport than the continental Europe but then, many cities had their rail-based transport systems and they just removed them like in continental Europe.
And that historic double decker trams. Man that's a rare beauty. I'd love to see modernized version of those.

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Kolothos

· #11 · Nov 6, 2012

Yeah, I've always thought it was odd that double decker trams have not really made a comeback. I seen a concept not too long a go for an automated, and articulated, double decker tram for Stockholm. Looked really nice.

The refreshing thing about Edinburgh's trams is that they are actually just called 'Trams'. No dressing it up as 'Metrolink', 'Metro', 'Supertram', 'Express Transit'. Just plain old 'Tram'!

Yet, these trams are the most rail like trams in the UK! They are the widest, the longest, and possibly the lowest trams in the whole country.

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Kolothos

· #12 · Nov 16, 2012

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trainrover

· #13 · Nov 16, 2012

The height of the wire at that garage makes me wonder if doubledeckers possible ... bendy doubledeckers would be quite the sight.

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Kolothos

· #14 · Nov 17, 2012

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Very sexy concepts from Stockholm.. Automated too!

I'm really disappointed in the material choice for the Edinburgh Trams interior..

I absolutely loved Prague's new trams. Lovely wooden seats!

Lovely looking trams too, mind. 'Different' to what you usually see around Europe.

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faialense

· #15 · Nov 17, 2012

Kolothos said:
Very sexy concepts from Stockholm.. Automated too!

Double-decker trams?? :eek2: Awesome!

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Kolothos

· #16 · Nov 29, 2012 (Edited)

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A photo update from the City of Edinburgh Council's website.

Haymarket (rail interchange)

At Carricknowe Golf Course.

Down Broomhouse Drive.

Lovely image of the line at the Gyle Centre. It's clear to see that this line takes on the appearance of a light Metro once it clears Haymarket.

Gogar Depot, with all the trams ready to go!

Ingliston station

Edinburgh International Airport station.

EDIT: Here's October's photo update too, for good measure. Some city centre shots!

Tramworks at St. Andrew's Square:

South St. Andrew's Street, onto Princes Street.

West of Haymarket, the beginning of the segregated part of the line.

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Swede

· #17 · Dec 1, 2012

Kolothos said:
Very sexy concepts from Stockholm.. Automated too!

Concept being the operative word. A design study done by design students, not really by anyone involved in the biz. Sadly. I love'd it the first time I saw it over 5 years ago, IO still like it. Articulated modern double-deckers? yes please!

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