More than 22,000 visitors jumped on board a life sized mock-up of the Edinburgh Tram in its first week on public display outside Jenners.

This makes it one of Scotland's busiest visitor attractions since it opened its doors to the public last Monday (February 23 2009). A poll taken of visitors to the mock-up also found that 80% had a positive impression of the tram.

As well as giving visitors a sneak preview of what Edinburgh's trams will look like on the streets in 2011, the model has also been used to carry out important engineering and safety checks.

Leading Spanish company CAF is building Edinburgh's 27 tram vehicles. They are best known in the UK for the Heathrow Express. They also recently supplied trams to the World Heritage city, Seville.

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At over 40m long, Edinburgh's fully accessible trams will be the biggest in the UK, carrying up to 250 passengers at a time. They will also have a timeless and attractive appearance, complementing the heritage of the city.

Council Leader Jenny Dawe, said: "It is extremely encouraging to see so many visitors flooding through the doors of the mock-up. I visited it myself last week and was very encouraged to see that people are taking such an interest.

"The feedback from the public has been very positive so far and the staff on the tram are doing a great job educating visitors on Edinburgh's new integrated, environmentally friendly transport system, which we will deliver in 2011."

David Mackay, Chairman, tie Limited, said: "When we commenced the procurement of these vehicles we promised Edinburgh citizens that we would get them the best. This mock up of tram demonstrates the results of that commitment and is one of the first tangible signs of the Edinburgh Tram Project.

"There is now a real sense of excitement among the thousands of people who have come to have a look. I would urge as many people as possible to have a look over the next several weeks."

(GK/JM)