Tramworks

On Thursday last week, a tram reached York Place for the first time since 10 February – but just to test the newly reconfigured track.

Accompanied by dozens of tram contractors, the tram took the better part of an hour to inch its way from halfway along York Place to the current end of the tram line: a large planter at the top of Broughton Street. At points along the way, contractors measured the distances from the overhead line poles and the central reservation to crucial parts of the tram.

A new phase of work in the Trams to Broughton project starts on Monday, 11 October.

As before, one line of traffic will run towards Leith from York Place.

But instead of a roundabout, there will now be a junction to go left into Gayfield Square, straight ahead down Leith Walk, or right into London Road.

Traffic will NOT be able to turn right out of London Road along Leith Walk. Anyone wishing to access Leith will have first to turn left and go up round the temporary construction site at Picardy Place before heading north.

A local resident has been left alarmed and exasperated by damage to his building which he suspects has been caused by tramwork-related vibration.

Alex Poole lives in a second-floor flat on Haddington Place. In March this year he noticed a new crack on a recently painted interior wall at the front of his home. He raised the issue with Trams to Newhaven (TtN), but as the crack didn’t get any worse he thought little of it.