Could Tram-Trains Be Used To Advantage In Edinburgh?
This might be design by hindsight but after viewing the tram-trains of Kassel, Karlsruhe and Mulhouse, I do wonder if tram-trains could be used to advantage in Edinburgh, alongside the new tram system.
To the west of Haymarket station, the trams and rail lines share a corridor, with the tram tracks to the north. So as the Edinburgh trams run on standard gauge tracks, any tram-trains coming or going to the west could just cross over between the two sets of tracks. This Google Earth image shows the tram stop and the train station at Haymarket.
Trams And Trains At Haymarket
Unfortunately, I think the image pre-dates the operation of the trams, but compared to some of the complicated layouts and tunnels in Germany, it should be very simple. As was shown in Paris, tram-trains can be built that run on both the 750 V DC used by Edinburgh trams and the 25 kV AC used on the electrified main line to both Glasgow and London from Edinburgh.
The Edinburgh trams run every 8-10 minutes during the week, so there should be capacity to run some train-trains through the city centre section, without much modification.
But where would they go at the eastern end?
The obvious place would be to go straight on past Waverley station and the Balmoral Hotel and then return to the rail lines to the east of the station, if that was possible. This is a Google Earth image of the area.
Edinburgh Waverley
If they ever extend the tram to Leith and Newhaven, that may or may not be a possibility. The Edinburgh trams are built to a very tight specification, which is designed to go round sharp corners and not make too much noise. Running straight between Haymarket and Waverley may be an easier task, than turning sharply on and off Princes Street.
As with Crossrail and Thameslink in London, where tunnels link two railways lines together, thus saving terminal platforms in the city centre, an east-west tram-train across Edinburgh, would reduce the needed platform capacity in both Waverley and Haymarket stations.
I have been looking at Google Earth images of Edinburgh and there are more railways than those that run passenger trains. I would assume they take freight from up the East Coast Main Line through the city. So could some of these lines be used by tram-trains to create much needed public transport routes in the city?
There is one interesting possibility. The Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway, runs across the south of the city and is used by freight trains, but no passenger services. According to Wikipedia there is a campaign to reopen the line to Passenger services and also a proposal by Network Rail to electrify the line. Tram-trains could be a possibility for providing the service, as the line links to the main railway across Edinburgh at both ends.
It would probably be more affordable to provide the passenger services using tram-train technology, as the stops would be simpler and you could use an off-the-shelf Class 399 tram-train, if they have been proven to work in Sheffield.
In the Wikipedia for Edinburgh trams, they also talk about a new stop called Edinburgh Gateway, which would link to trains on the Fife Circle Line.
It has been proposed that the Fife Circle Line be extended to Leven by creating the Levenmouth Rail Link.
I’m pretty certain that in Karlsruhe or Kassel, the Germans, would run tram-trains on the Fife Circle and the extension to Leven, probably using 750 DC electrification all the way.
1. The station at Edinburgh Gateway could be a simpler affair, which would only need to accommodate compatible tram-trains and trams which could share platforms. Obviously, if longer distance trains to Glasgow or Aberdeen were stopping at the station, these would probably need their own platforms.
2. Creating a 750 DC tram line between Thornton and Leven, even if parts of the line carried freight trains, must be more affordable, than heavy rail.
3. Edinburgh would have the iconic images of tram-trains going over the Forth Rail bridge, which could be electrified to either system, as the tram-trains won’t care.
4. Operation of the tram-train would be a bit like the proposed tram-train test in Sheffield, where both ends of the line operate as trams, with a section of heavy rail in the middle.
5. Battery technology could also be used between Edinburgh Gateway and Thornton.
I’ve seen everything, I’m proposing here, in the last few weeks.
This musing of a Saasenach, does illustrate the importance of the tram-train trial between Sheffield and Rotherham.
The Edinburgh Trams Finally Arrive
One of the reasons to go to Edinburgh was to see the new trams.
The trams themselves are impressive and are the first I’ve seen with leather seats. Incidentally according to this Wikipedia article, the Edinburgh tram is a special design and unlike any others.
The trams, like many Lothian buses are being fitted with wi-fi, which is something I’d like to see on all public transport.
But I think that the design of the system shows a few shortcomings.
Edinburgh is a World Heritage Site, so why didn’t they use battery or catenary-free technology, through the historic centre, as is done in Bordeaux, Nice and Seville. Incidentally the Seville trams were built by the same manufacturer as those in Edinburgh; CAF. It therefore seems even more surprising that Edinburgh doesn’t use the same technology in the city centre, especially as in addition to not using intrusive and ugly catenary, according to some technical articles, I’ve read they are cheaper to install in heritage areas, as no posts or attachments on buildings are needed.
Even the most patriotic of Scots, will admit that it rains in their country. The ticket machines, like they are in many places I’ve been, are out in the open and buying a ticket without an umbrella wasn’t an easy process. All it needed was to make the shelters a little bit longer, as one of the pictures shows.
The ticketing is something that doesn’t take advantage of modern technology. These days, you shouldn’t need to buy a ticket, as you don’t on London’s buses, where if you haven’t got a ticket or an Oyster, you can use a contactless bank or credit card. I hope Edinburgh has plans to allow these cards, as visitors will demand this, as it gets implimemted in more places across the world.
I also felt the ticketing zones weren’t visitor friendly. You can buy one day tickets, but why don’t they do what I found in one European city and offer twenty-four hour tickets. This helps people who might fly into Edinburgh for business or a concert and then fly back out the next day. Charging people for two separate tickets will just upset visitors.
The tram also failed my map and information standards by a long way. Edinburgh has virtually no maps and surely there should be one on every tram stop.
Buses In Edinburgh
Whilst in Edinburgh, I travelled several times on Edinburgh’s buses. They may be understandable to those, who live in the city, but they don’t have the bus maps everywhere, that Londoners and most tourists like in London. So if you’re not with a guide, it can be difficult to find the bus and the appropriate stop for where you want to go.
I was staying with a friend, just outside the city centre, and she can take buses from two companies to get home. So, although you can buy a 24-hour ticket for each company, you can’t buy one for all of the buses that use Edinburgh. And of course, I can’t use my English bus pass in Scotland. I have wondered how many English, who fancy a weekend away, don’t go to Scotland, as their bus passes are not valid. Surely, every UK bus pass, should be valid all over the UK, to encourage tourism.
But the fact that there is no 24-hour pass for the whole of Edinburgh, was a total surprise to me. Many cities in England and of course London, have systems to give 24-hour travel to everybody, who wants it. Surely, this problem will be solved, when every city in the world follows London and allows a bank or credit card to be used as a ticket. There’s a lot here on contactless ticketing with bank cards.
Talking of tickets, will you need a third 24-hour ticket, for the trams in Edinburgh?
Edinburgh has the silly single door buses, that don’t announce their stops, that still persist outside London. Was this why on my several trips on Edinburgh’s buses, I never saw a mother with a baby in a buggy or anybody carrying anything heavy?
What summed up the badly planned nature of Edinburgh’s buses, was this timetable on a stop.
How Not To Do Bus Information
Note how to text to find the next bus, you have to type in an eight-digit number and then use a full mobile number. In London, which appears to be a much bigger city than Edinburgh, all stops are covered by codes that are just five digits and you text the same short number of 87287 at every stop.
I also think that as you can get the buses of two companies from the stop I was using, you actually have to use a different system to get the times for the other company. London,which has several bus companies, merges all the routes and companies together.
Edinburgh’s Tram Infrastructure Goes In
The infrastructure for the new Edinburgh tram line appears to be substantially installed.
I still have doubts that the design of the lines isn’t the best.
Edinburgh is an important city architecturally and I do wonder if the trams should be like they are in Seville; without overhead wires. I can see the day, when all city centre trams will be like those Spanish ones. it would certainly make building the systems a lot simpler.
It does strike me too, that now I can see where the tram route goes, does it go close enough to the main station at Waverley? I asked in an earlier post, why the trams don’t go over the North Bridge in front of the station. It would appear that the original Edinburgh trams did, from a map I’ve seen. These days too, modern trams are much better at climbing hills, as they do regularly in cities like Geneva.
Perhaps Edinburgh’s biggest mistake with the trams was to start them when they did. If you were designing a system now, it would be much simpler and less disruptive to install and probably a lot cheaper too!
Cambridge Busway Troubles
The Cambridge Busway may be running fairly well now, but it still seems to cause trouble for politicians, as this report shows.
At least though the Edinburgh Tram has come along to give the busway company in the book of bad projects.
Edinburgh Gets A New Tram
Edinburgh has now got a new tram, that apparently could easily be run up and down Princes Street, which is more than the new electric ones can do.
The trouble is that it’s a replica of a nineteenth century Edinburgh horse tram, which was made from a garden shed. Read about the full story here.
I know the budget for the new tram is a bit tight, but isn’t this taking things a bit too far to save money.
St. Pancras, Kings Cross and Edinburgh Waverley Stations
St. Pancras and Kings Cross stations sit above one of the biggest Underground stations in London; Kings Cross St. Pancras. Over the last few years, the moles have been burrowing deep under and between the stations to make the access between all three stations, accessible for those in wheel-chairs and with heavy cases. It’s not perfect, especially, if you want to make a quick transfer to an Underground line, but it’s a lot better than it was.
Edinburgh Waverley has always been difficult for passengers, unless you arrive and leave in a taxi, as walking up the famous Waverley Steps has not been easy for anybody with a mobility problem. Network Rail are improving the station, by glazing the enormous roof properly with clear glass to get more light into the station and installing lifts to improve disabled access. You’d think the installation of lifts would be welcomed, but I was surprised to read this article in the Edinburgh Guide. Here’s an extract.
Two 16-person lifts now descend to Waverley from the roof of the Princes Mall. Also, as part of the “Waverley Steps Improvement Project” a new covered step and escalator access has been put in between Princes Street and the north entrance to Waverley station.
“The ‘Windy Steps’ have been given a vital upgrade and are now accessible and convenient for all passengers,” said David Simpson, Network Rail route managing director for Scotland, of the “stylish and bright” new entrance.
Personally, I liked it the way things were. Trudging up and down the broad staircase of the well-worn stone slabs of Waverley Steps, there was a sense of walking in the footsteps of millions of travellers before me.
Lifts and escalators leave me cold. The building materials have little of the traditional quality or aesthetic of Edinburgh’s New Town and Old Town architecture. The machinery usually requires large amounts of energy (more CO2 emissions), seeing as they are running all day.
They are, frankly, utilitarian and ugly.
That gives me the impression, that they think things should have been left the way they are.
I travel extensively by train and if you look at Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Newcastle, Sheffield and London Paddington and Waterloo, all have been or are being upgraded to improve the passenger experience.
I suppose the writer would perhaps prefer Edinburgh Waverley to revert to diesel or even steam power for the trains, as they are more in keeping with the history of Edinburgh.
The Edinburgh Tram Fiasco Continues
Over the last few years, there have been several local transport prjects in the UK. Most like the London Overground have been completed on time and on budget, with one in London the DLR Extension to Stratford International being a year late.
Two major projects though have gone seriously over budget; the Cambridge Busway and the Edinburgh Tram.
The former is now up and running and most of the reports are positive. Extra buses are supposedly being ordered to cope with demand. But it will be easier to sort out the problems of the cost overruns for a success than a failure.
But the Edinburgh Tram fiasco continues according to this report on the BBC. So for a large cost overrun, Edinburgh will get what half they originally ordered. When what they are now getting is completed, passengers arriving at the airport will be unable to take the tram to the City Centre to see the similarly half-finished National Monument. But at least the tram will serve the headquarters of the Royal Bank of UK Taxpayers at Gogar!
At least it has given a lot of work for consultants and material for comedians at the Festival.
Edinburgh’s Best Joke
This one from Nick Helm has been voted Edinburgh’s best joke according to the BBC.
I needed a password eight characters long so I picked Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.
I always thought that Edinburgh’s best joke was the tram!
Edinburgh’s Second Disgrace
The National Monument on Calton Hill in Edinburgh is unfinished and according to Wikipedia it is often known as Edinburgh’s Disgrace Folly. I’ve never heard any of my friends in Edinburgh call it a folly.
This morning the BBC is discussing the new Edinburgh Trams, as the Council is deciding today, whether to complete or abandon the project. The BBC reporter, who is from north of the border, has just called the trams, Edinburgh’s Second Disgrace.
The Anonymous Widower 