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• Why does the tram go along Constitution Street and not along Great Junction Street?
• Why is the Foot of the Walk stop on Constitution Street rather than at the bottom of Leith Walk?
• Where has the Balfour Street stop been moved to and why?
• What measures have been put in place to ensure noise and vibration levels are not excessive once the tram is operational?

Why does the tram go along Constitution Street and not along Great Junction Street?

The original Business Case produced for the line and the Edinburgh Tram (Line 1) Act 2006 identified the preferred route along Leith Walk and Constitution Street.  Alternative routes were identified along Easter Road instead of Leith Walk and following Great Junction Street in Leith instead of the alignment through the Port of Leith.  These were then evaluated in accordance with Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) against the following criteria:

• Environment
• Accessibility
• Integration
• Economy and
• Safety

The preferred option, to run trams along Leith Walk and Constitution Street, performed best and was clearly favourable on economic grounds.  Great Junction Street performed demonstrably worse.  The Easter Road alignment was less preferable to the Leith Walk alignment due to higher scheme costs and lower patronage demand forecasts and was therefore discounted.

Why is the Foot of the Walk stop on Constitution Street rather than at the bottom of Leith Walk?

We have considered the options of locating this stop either on the Leith Walk side of the Foot of the Walk junction or at the southern end of Constitution Street.  Locating it at the Foot of the Walk would result in a number of issues in terms of both the spatial constraints at this location and in accommodating the various modes of transport including walking, active travel and traffic movements.  This means that the tram stop located at the Foot of the Walk would significantly impact bus and car movements and would lead to delays in operating the tram.  For these reasons, the Foot of the Walk location was discounted and so the stop will be located on Constitution Street as per the current designs.

Where has the Balfour Street stop been moved to and why?

The stop at Balfour Street has been moved a short distance from the location on the original plans. It will now be sited further to the south (towards the city) with the platform end located at the junction of Balfour Street. The street will also benefit from traffic signals, allowing both right and left-hand turns in and out.

We moved the stop after receiving a large amount of feedback telling us that the location of the Balfour Street stop was problematic. Given that Balfour Street (and the cul-de-sacs of Cambridge Gardens, Cambridge Avenue and Springfield) are currently one way in and out, there were concerns raised about ease of access for residents. Your feedback sent us back to the drawing board and during the second round of consultation, we presented the updated location for the stop. Of those who expressed a preference in our online consultation, 86% said they agreed the new stop location dealt with the issues raised during the first round of consultation. 

What measures have been put in place to ensure noise and vibration levels are not excessive once the tram is operational?

You can view a report which details the mitigation measures that have been put in along the route for noise and vibration.