When the modern Edinburgh tram system commenced operation in 2014, it was three years late and £375 million over budget. Such scenarios are not uncommon and people soon forget the difficult birth once the benefits of the new transport link are realised. There was however some unfinished business in the capital city. Due to cashflow issues, the original scope of the project was truncated and trams from the airport proceeded no further than York Place in the city centre, rather than run the additional three miles to Leith and Newhaven on the Firth of Forth. What rankled with many was the fact that huge sums had been squandered on the awkward procedure of diverting underground utilities in order to prepare a clear passage for the tram tracks down the mile-long Leith Walk. These works caused massive disruption to residents and business owners over a lengthy period and the end result was Leith would see no benefit from the re-introduction of tram services.
Finally in March 2019, Edinburgh City Council approved the extension all the way to Newhaven and it was ready to roll in June 2023. The original tram network was dismantled in 1956 and now Edinburgh takes its place among the handful of major UK cities who have re-established this efficient method of moving large groups of people from one side of the city to another. I gave the new line a couple of weeks to bed in before heading over one evening to see what all the fuss was about. A few weeks previously, I had taken the tram as far as Edinburgh Park in the airport direction and walked part of the way back. I decided to adopt a similar strategy tonight and boarded a tram on Princes Street, paying £2 cash at the platform machine for a single ticket. It's nice to see a choice of payment options and not just card only. We swung off the main thoroughfare, past St Andrew Square, along York Place and down Leith Walk. The tram was busy with commuters heading home and I noted the wheelchair spaces in the middle carriage. I'm hoping to bring my dad over for a ride on the complete network (he can remember the original system) and the set-up is disabled friendly, the platforms and tram doors being at exactly the same level. There were two intermediate stops on Leith Walk before reaching the foot, at which point the tram halted again before continuing along Commercial Street. As we headed along Ocean Drive beside the modern docks, I caught a glimpse of the evening sun shining directly upon the historic quayside at Leith Shore. Now I realised why the Proclaimers wrote an evocative song about this sight. The terminus was around 400 yards short of Newhaven Harbour and I walked along to the Firth of Forth, noting a fish & chips restaurant with ample outdoor seating, situated within the B-listed Victorian market buildings - a perfect place to take the old man. The adjacent Loch Fyne oyster eatery might strain the wallet rather more! I wandered along the pier and inspected the 1869 lighthouse. Catches have been landed at Newhaven for centuries and today's harbour dates from 1837, undergoing an enlargement in 1890. The market halls were erected in 1896 but declined in the mid-20th century as Leith established itself as the dominant maritime force in the area. Newhaven itself was swallowed up by the ever-expanding boundaries of the Edinburgh Corporation. Restoration of the market complex took place in the 1990s and limited amounts of fish are still traded here, keeping the working aspect of the port alive.
Heading back alongside the tram tracks, I spotted the Royal Yacht Britannia docked by the Ocean Terminal shopping and leisure centre. The famous craft was decommissioned in 1997 and permanently docked in Leith as a museum. To continue sailing would have required an expensive refit and the government at the time decided to retire the boat. Britannia had been built in Clydebank and launched in 1954. I saw her on active service in Dundee during my student years. 300,000 people now visit the yacht each year and I did the tour in the early 2000s. Sheer opulence is a good way to describe the interior. Tonight I had a quick look around the Ocean Terminal Centre and it features 80 shops, six restaurants and numerous bars/cafés. There is also a cinema (all seats less than a tenner), roller-skating rink, fitness studio and children's play area. Back on Ocean Drive, I cut across to the old Leith Shore and re-joined the tracks at the tram halt of the same name, which was located 200 yards along Bernard Street. I decided to take the next service back up the hill as I wanted to attend my monthly German meet-up and time was pressing on. In any case, I had traipsed up Leith Walk many times in the past and already knew the lie of the land. One wonders if the system will be further extended in the future. The only significant earthwork required in the new phase was the construction of a ramp on the approach to the Newhaven terminus. I'm sure it would not be difficult to continue on-street running along the waterfront far as Granton. But that argument is for another day. My verdict of the current extension was a massive thumbs up.
A few weeks later, my dad and I drove to Ingliston Park & Ride, near Edinburgh Airport. Dad's disabled badge allowed us to park just yards from the platform and we were soon travelling towards the city. Boarding had been simple and the wheelchair rolled straight on without a hiccup into one of the two designated spaces. Dad enjoyed spotting the familiar landmarks and we eventually arrived at Newhaven. Unfortunately the heavens opened as we proceeded towards the harbour and we dived into Asda to escape the downpour. Venturing out again, the weather was still unsettled and we decided to go into the Brewer's Fayre restaurant by the quayside, rather than chance fish & chips in the open. The right decision, as it turned out. The usual chain pub grub was on offer but it was perfectly acceptable and the rain had stopped by the time we emerged to make the return journey. Dad was very impressed by the speed of the trams and how silent they were. He managed to pick out his old flat and workplace on the way. A successful mission.
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