View Full Version : The SNP take over running the Trams
Well folks you can kiss goodbye to a Billion pounds now, Wee Shrek and his mob have taken over the running of the biggest fiasco and embarassment to us Edinburgers. Few ever wanted this debacal, its only going to run 2 thirds of its origional route, and is £300k over price and 4 years late. Why not just shut the whole project down?
orkneycadian
14-Sep-11, 20:39
.....the biggest fiasco and embarassment to us Edinburgers.....and is £300k over price.......
£300k? Is that all? Did you not go and spend 400 and odd million on a building down there that was supposed to cost less than 40 million?
£300k probably didnt even pay for the taps in the toilets!
I don't understand how this has turned into the farce that it has become. Other citys have put tram systems in place at a fraction of the cost and disruption that has taken place in Edinburgh!
I lived in Manchester at the time they installed their system and barely noticed the work and found huge benefits once it was running.
Golach is right. The trams project has been a debacle from the start. But the whole transport infrastructure in and around our capital city has been a shambles for years. I stopped visiting the city centre soon after 2001 and was happy to do all my shopping in the out-of-town shopping centres. A significant majority argued that one tram route from the airport to Leith would cost much more than estimated when it was decided that all the utilities, and anything else under the proposed route of the track had to be moved; they were right.
I don't understand how this has turned into the farce that it has become. Other citys have put tram systems in place at a fraction of the cost and disruption that has taken place in Edinburgh!
I lived in Manchester at the time they installed their system and barely noticed the work and found huge benefits once it was running.
It was decided that before any track could be laid the route had to be excavated to re-route all the utilities ie. gas, electricity and water. This was to have been done, backfilled and made good two years ahead of any track construction work. However as the work progressed more and more problems arose out of what they found under the older parts of the city. Delays cost money and council had no experience of such major works but pressed on regardless. Our once beautiful city has become a haven for corporate vandalism.
its only going to run 2 thirds of its origional route
I thought the SNP had stumped up the remaining £72 million in the eleventh hour to take the line right all the way to the original town centre plan instead of the cost cutting/half hearted Haymarket option?
I thought the SNP had stumped up the remaining £72 million in the eleventh hour to take the line right all the way to the original town centre plan instead of the cost cutting/half hearted Haymarket option?
The original route was from Ocean Terminal in Leith to the Airport. For over 2 years the residents of Leith had to put up with the moving of "The Utilities" to no avail, many businesses went to the wall on Leith Walk because of lack of access, only to be told Leith was no longer on the route, it would finish in St Andrews Sq. Its not even going to go directly to the Airport, it finishes short of the Airport. We have an award winning bus system in Edinburgh, and the cooncil is talking about having to sell off parts of Lothian Buses to pay for the Trams, talk about robbing Peter to pay Paul!!!!!!!!!
Edinburgh never needed trams. The bus system was fine. Even from the airport is was no problem.
The whole idea, in my opinion, was about status.
I can't get my head around how the cost rose/changed so much. Whatever happened to the days of agreed price bidding for jobs like this? Whoever wrote the contract should be shot.
council had no experience of such major works but pressed on regardless.
That little phrase says it all. How much public money has been wasted over the years due to Councils (Wick heating system springs to mind) and Governments (all those billions on computer systems that don't work, high speed trains will be another one). The people who take these decisions have no training, which is Ok although it would be nice if Ministers had some basic, but what's far worse is they won't listen to the people who do have training. How many MSPs in charge of the Holyrood building had the faintest clue what they were doing? Same goes for Edinburgh councillors and the trams - did they get proper advice? Silly question.
Latest slap in the face to Edinburgh public, as from 17/09/11 until further notice Princes Street will be closed to all traffic. The reason, the tram rails are being dug up and repaired............this is the second time this has happened, and not a tram has ever run on them. What must the visitors to this World Heritage site think?
orkneycadian
15-Sep-11, 17:50
Probably the same as visitors to the Orkney world heritage site when they find that £100m or thereabouts has been spend on the Scrabster ferry un-necessarily over the last 10 years! :eek:
Your just seeing the same wanton waste of money down there as we see up here!
Latest slap in the face to Edinburgh public, as from 17/09/11 until further notice Princes Street will be closed to all traffic. The reason, the tram rails are being dug up and repaired............this is the second time this has happened, and not a tram has ever run on them. What must the visitors to this World Heritage site think?
Given the mess the city has been in for so long I'm surprised it gets visitors at all.
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