Tram systems in Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, situated near the southern shore of the Firth of Forth. Its historic centre combines the medieval Old Town, dominated by Edinburgh Castle, with the planned Georgian streets of the New Town. Together, these form a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for their contrasting architecture and urban layout.
Edinburgh’s public transport includes an extensive bus network, a modern tram line and local, regional and long-distance rail services. Lothian Buses operates a substantial network across the city and surrounding areas, including airport and night services. Edinburgh Waverley and Haymarket are the principal railway stations, providing connections across Scotland and to other parts of Britain. Edinburgh Airport, west of the city, is connected to the centre by both trams and buses.
Edinburgh’s modern tramway opened on 31 May 2014. An extension through Leith to Newhaven began carrying passengers on 7 June 2023, creating the present route between Edinburgh Airport and the city’s northern waterfront.
The system consists of a single route with 23 stops. It serves the western business and residential districts, Murrayfield Stadium, Haymarket and Princes Street before continuing along Leith Walk to the Shore, Ocean Terminal and Newhaven. The route provides a direct connection between the airport, city centre and waterfront, serving both everyday journeys and visitors.
Trams connect with railway services at Edinburgh Gateway, Edinburgh Park Station and Haymarket, while Waverley station is within walking distance of St Andrew Square. Services operate seven days a week, with trams running from every seven minutes during the daytime.
Edinburgh Trams operates the city’s tram service.
Edinburgh’s first tram services began in 1871, using horse-drawn vehicles. Cable-hauled trams followed in 1888 and became a distinctive feature of the city’s transport system. Rather than carrying their own motors, these trams gripped a moving cable beneath the street, providing a means of negotiating Edinburgh’s steep gradients.
The cable network was subsequently converted to electric operation, with the final cable services ending in 1923. Electric trams developed into an extensive network serving Edinburgh and neighbouring districts. Many vehicles were built or rebuilt at the city’s Shrubhill workshops, including the distinctive “Shrubhill Standard” tramcars introduced during the 1930s.
During the 1950s, Edinburgh progressively replaced its tram services with buses. The final trams ran on 16 November 1956, ending approximately 85 years of continuous tram operation. Buses then became the principal form of public transport within the city.
One surviving vehicle, Edinburgh Corporation tram 35, was preserved after closure. Built in 1948, it was initially displayed in Edinburgh before eventually joining the collection at the National Tramway Museum at Crich in Derbyshire.
Plans to reintroduce trams led to construction of a modern system during the late 2000s. The project experienced substantial delays, contractual disputes and cost increases, and the initial route was shortened from the intended airport-to-Newhaven line to terminate at York Place in the city centre. Passenger services began on 31 May 2014, returning trams to Edinburgh after an absence of more than 57 years.
The original modern route linked Edinburgh Airport with the western suburbs, Haymarket and Princes Street. A further stop at Edinburgh Gateway opened on 11 December 2016, providing an interchange with the new railway station and improving rail connections to the airport.
Construction of the extension through Leith to Newhaven began in November 2019. The project added approximately 4.7 kilometres of route and eight new stops, bringing trams back to Leith Walk and extending services to the Shore, Ocean Terminal and Newhaven.
York Place stop closed permanently in February 2022 to allow the existing line to be connected to the extension. It was replaced by the nearby Picardy Place stop when passenger services to Newhaven began on 7 June 2023, completing the present route across the city.
Edinburgh currently has 1 tram line, which is listed below. To see more information about a particular line, click on the link in the table below.
| Line | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Line 1 runs between Edinburgh Airport and Newhaven via Edinburgh Park, the city centre and Leith. |
Edinburgh’s tramway uses standard-gauge track (1,435 mm), with electricity supplied at 750 V DC through overhead wires. Trams collect power using roof-mounted pantographs.
The route combines segregated track in the western part of the city with street running through the centre and towards Leith and Newhaven. On the street sections, trams use a mixture of dedicated public transport lanes and track shared with other traffic. Tram detection equipment allows vehicles to request signals at road junctions.
The depot at Gogar, near Edinburgh Gateway, provides stabling, cleaning and maintenance facilities. It includes workshops and a turning loop, and accommodates the fleet serving the entire route.
The fleet consists of 27 CAF Urbos 3 articulated, low-floor trams, each approximately 42.8 metres long. Their low-floor layout provides accessible boarding, with two dedicated wheelchair spaces in the central section and luggage racks for passengers travelling to and from the airport.
The vehicles are maintained by CAF. Since January 2026, the fleet has used LeadMind automatic speed monitoring, which checks a tram’s speed against its location on the route. The system warns the driver of excessive speed and can automatically apply the brakes if the driver does not respond.
Edinburgh is developing proposals for a new tram route linking Granton in the north with the Edinburgh BioQuarter and Royal Infirmary in the south-east. The Strategic Business Case was approved on 10 September 2026, with the southern section from the city centre identified as the priority for the first phase.
The proposed southern route would use the existing tram infrastructure on Princes Street before continuing via North and South Bridges, Newington, Cameron Toll and Old Dalkeith Road. It would provide tram connections to residential districts, university facilities and the hospital and research complex at the BioQuarter.
A northern extension would connect the city centre with Granton Waterfront, supporting the redevelopment of this former industrial area. This remains part of the wider expansion proposal, although further work is required on the route and its delivery before it can progress as a later phase.
The expansion remains at the business-case stage, with funding arrangements, detailed design and further approvals still required. Development will be coordinated with the regional SEStransit study, expected in autumn 2027, and work examining the possible reintroduction of passenger services on Edinburgh’s South Suburban Railway.
The council indicates that construction is unlikely to begin before the early 2030s at the earliest. No opening date has been confirmed, and delivery would depend on securing funding and completing the remaining planning stages.