Progress is continuing on plans to extend the Edinburgh tramline to Newhaven.

An Outline Business Case (OBC) has been approved by Councillors and work is now underway on the tendering process to secure a contractor for the project.

Construction work on the scheme is estimated to cost £165.2 million and is expected to take three years, including 18 months on Leith Walk, followed by around four months of testing and commissioning on new line.

A significant proportion of major utility works have already been carried out, with the remainder carried out in conjunction with main infrastructure works, meaning no ‘double dig'.

However, councillors will not make a final decision on taking the tram to Newhaven until autumn 2018.

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The intervening period will enable the project team to:

• Allow affordability to be tested based on tender prices

• Provide a further 12 months of evidence of tram patronage build up; and

• Allow the project to consider any lessons learned from the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry currently under way

• Undertake detailed work on traffic management arrangements and measures to mitigate disruption for businesses and residents

Council Leader Adam McVey: "Given the rate of growth forecast for Edinburgh over the coming years, we simply cannot stand still. And yet we can't proceed with work to take trams down to Newhaven unless we're 100% certain we've rigorously scrutinised the business case and taken on board crucial lessons from the first phase.

"Having pored over the Outline Business Case in microscopic detail these past few weeks, including obtaining independent advice on it, I'm confident our project team - which retains key personnel from the team who got the first phase back on track - is now well placed to move on to the next stage and start the procurement process for a contractor. 

"We will only make our final decision next autumn once the tendering process has completed and once we've consulted an independent assessor on the viability of the proposed construction contracts. We'll also of course consider any lessons learned from Lord Hardie's ongoing tram inquiry as we move forward."

(LM)