Along the Right Lines

Many residents and businesses in Edinburgh have been complaining about the disruption caused by the building of a tram system. This article discusses the current state of the project and highlights how the project's chief executive, Richard Jeffrey, believes that the temporary inconvenience will be worth it for the city's future. The project has been troubled, with disputes with contractors that have delayed the project timetable and construction work that has triggered gridlock on Edinburgh's streets. The new chief executive hopes to promote a better understanding of the impact that the construction is having on the city and wants to improve working relationships across the board. He believes the project has failed to communicate the sheer scale of the utilities program that preceded the track-laying, in which massive amounts of Edinburgh's utilities were replaced. While some contract issues remain and negotiations continue over a revised program timetable, Jeffrey has had profitable discussions with the construction consortium. Recent reports suggest the central tram depot is nine months behind schedule. Jeffrey concedes there will be a delay of months, beyond the July 2011 launch target and the £512m budget will also be exceeded, though the extra should be within the £33m contingency. The project has shrunk since its inception, and will only deliver one section of the original vision, but Jeffrey is optimistic that the entire project will eventually be realized.

• Record URL:
  http://www.railpro.co.uk/issues/pdfs/aug09_along-the-right-lines.pdf
• 
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/49957551
• Authors:
  • Allan, Arthur
• Publication Date: 2009-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: pp 30-31
• Serial:
  • Rail Professional
  • Issue Number: 149
  • Publisher: Cambridge Publishers Limited
  • ISSN: 1476-2196
  • Serial URL: http://www.cpl.biz/ourwork/general/rp.htm

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Construction management; Executives; Lines of track; Railroad construction; Trolley cars
• Geographic Terms: Edinburgh (Scotland)
• Subject Areas: Construction; Public Transportation; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01142398
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 26 2009 10:32AM