West End – Princes Street tram stop
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A tram on Princes Street in May 2014
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| Overview | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Transport for Edinburgh | ||
| Locale | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Transit type | Light rail/Tram | ||
| Number of lines | 1 | ||
| Number of stations | 16 | ||
| Annual ridership | 5.38 million | ||
| Website | Edinburgh Trams | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | 31 May 2014 | ||
| Operator(s) | Edinburgh Trams Limited | ||
| Number of vehicles | 27 CAF trams | ||
| Train length | 42.8 m (140 ft 5 in) | ||
| Headway | 8–15 minutes | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 14 km (8.7 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||
| Electrification | 750 V DC OHLE | ||
| Top speed | 70 km/h (43 mph) off-street | ||
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Edinburgh Trams is a tramway in Edinburgh, Scotland, operated by Transport for Edinburgh. It is a 14-kilometre (8.7 mi) line between York Place in New Town and Edinburgh Airport, with 16stops.
Construction began in June 2008, and after encountering delays it opened on 31 May 2014. The scheme had an initial estimated cost of £375 million in 2003, but by May 2008, when contracts were signed, the cost had risen to £521 million. The final cost after delays was £776 million.
Edinburgh Corporation Tramways ran from 1871 until 16 November 1956. After that date, public transport consisted of buses and a limited network of commuter rail lines. Towards the end of the 20th century, there was revived interest in trams and networks were introduced in Birmingham, Croydon, Manchester, Nottingham and Sheffield.
Proposals for a tram network were made in the 1990s, and a plan to build a line along Princes Street and Leith Walk to Newhaven was proposed in 1999 by the City of Edinburgh Council, Lothian and Edinburgh Enterprise and the New Edinburgh Tramways Company.
A 2001 proposal envisaged three routes, lines 1, 2 and 3. The first was a circular route around the northern suburbs, and the others were radial routes to Newbridge in the west and Newcraighall in the south. All lines would have passed through the city centre. In May 2004, a 15-year operating contract was awarded to Transdev, to operate and maintain the tram network. This contract was cancelled in 2009.
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