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Engineering students petition for Edinburgh tram extension

February 3 2025

Engineering students petition for Edinburgh tram extension

A group of engineering students studying at Heriot-Watt University have launched a petition calling for the reopening of Edinburgh's South Suburban Line to passenger traffic.

Last serving passengers 60 years ago the freight-only route spans 12.3km, connecting Murrayfield Stadium to Portobello but has carried goods trains only since passenger services ceased in 1962.

Six existing stations along the route could be pressed back into service, joined by four more stops along the line at Portobello, Fort Kinnaird, Niddrie Bingham and Cameron Toll.

The students envisage introducing a battery-electric tram-train network similar to those operated in Sheffield, creating a hybrid tram line that is compatible with light rail services.

Final year civil engineering student Corey Boyle explained: “The system we propose is called discontinued electrification. That's an alternative to a full route electrification like we see used on the Edinburgh trams. As they’re battery electric vehicles, they can run on sections using battery alone and then switch to overhead lines at certain points. This way, it helps keep costs down and gets round any potential obstacles, such as low bridges that might otherwise prevent a tram train from receiving power.

“It is a low-carbon and viable transport option that would see greater connections between homes in the south of the city with the city centre and beyond.”

The students aim to persuade Scottish Government, Edinburgh City Council and Network Rail to commission a feasibility study into reopening the line to take into account the city's tram services. 

The main image is an AI generated depiction of the possible tram route

8 Comments

KB
#1 Posted by KB on 3 Feb 2025 at 13:15 PM
At last, some thinking outside of the box.
Lovely
#2 Posted by Lovely on 3 Feb 2025 at 15:57 PM
Nice to see some positive thinking, although hardly revolutionary or radical. It would be even better without the lithium fuelled element if possible.
James Hepburn
#3 Posted by James Hepburn on 3 Feb 2025 at 16:16 PM
Because Edinburgh has such a sterling reputation for public works programmes.
Chris Marshall
#4 Posted by Chris Marshall on 3 Feb 2025 at 20:07 PM
The Wikipedia article on this line shows that there have been multiple attempts at this and most have failed because there was a lack of demand. The only difference is battery power. It might work on short lines like that but it's a very roundabout way to get into the city centre.

There are now much better connections with brunstane and Neecraighall from the east of Waverley so very few places would benefit from this over an existing bus route
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Suburban_and_Southside_Junction_Railway
alibi
#5 Posted by alibi on 4 Feb 2025 at 23:22 PM
This sounds like a great idea until you closely examine the route, and the relatively low density of housing along much of the route, and the lack of major employment hubs and attractions along it.

It doesn't serve the city centre, the hospital, the airport, any major train stations the last time I checked (a few years ago admittedly).

Also serves a whole tranche of prosperous areas that hardly need a leg up.

And its highly doubtful it could run through Waverley due to limited capacity. Not that folk in Newington, for example, would get on a train to Waverley via Portabello anyway (they'd just get a bus).
Tram Jam
#6 Posted by Tram Jam on 5 Feb 2025 at 11:30 AM
Suggesting that prosperous areas don't need public transit is a non-starter. Well off people are disproportionately likely both to drive to work and to own larger vehicles. Everybody deserves a safe, affordable, and sustainable alternative to driving.
Pawel
#7 Posted by Pawel on 6 Feb 2025 at 13:23 PM
This is one of the dissertations I proposed in my 5th year at heriot watt (there was a spur to a recycling centre near leith that has been removed now). I did the glasgow inner ring road instead. #4 and #5 are right. And i think it works better as a freight bypass than a passanger service.
morningsider
#8 Posted by morningsider on 12 Feb 2025 at 12:02 PM
Alibi said : "This sounds like a great idea until you closely examine the route"

In fact if you closely examine it you'd see it allows trams from Portobello to the airport via south Edinburgh, and also into the city centre. The proposal is for both east and west branching trams at Murrayfield, using the current L1 tram line. Together with L2, it would facilitate tram journeys to pretty much all major employment and hospital sites.

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