TRAMS were not an unusual sight on the roads of Scotland's cities in the 1950s. But by the 1960s, all networks apart from Glasgow had been lost, with the final service, Glasgow's, to close in 1962.
It was 51 years until the ding of a tram bell was heard again, returning to Edinburgh in 2014 after a long, costly and politically contentious construction period.
But now, in 2026 part of the network that has served an increasing number of Edinburgh residents for the last two-and-a-half years has closed again – temporarily – after a fire shut down the western portion of Princes Street.
The fire is the latest hurdle the tram network of the capital has had to jump over, but despite this and its chequered past of scandal, delay and cost, the network is now a lifeline for many, something the Princes Street blaze has only highlighted further.
After being proposed in 1999, the first construction phase began in 2008 but over the next six years the costs spiralled, the delivery date was delayed, and over time the route was truncated, running services from the city centre (York Place) to the Airport without running into the densely populated areas of Leith and Newhaven.
A long-running inquiry into the project found a "litany of avoidable failures" contributed to the three year delay to delivery of the first section and the close-to doubling of the total project's cost – from £545m to £1.043bn (£836m for the first section).
These included the withdrawal of Transport Scotland oversight, poor management from the council – which was compounded by executives of the company set up to deliver the project giving false or misleading information about the cost and timeframe for delivery – and a lack of experience and technical knowledge of the company (Transport Initiatives Edinburgh) to complete such a project.
By 2023, the Leith and Newhaven extension was completed. In sharp contrast to the initial stretch, the project fell within its allotted budget (£207 million), and was delivered on time.
While this later project ran into its own criticism – mainly on the grounds of disruption during the construction phase to local businesses that relied upon through-traffic and footfall – it has turned into a success story for the city, winning multiple awards for its impact on the local communities it now serves, while also growing its passenger figures to 12.5m annual journeys.
"Public opinion is basically split into two camps," local Leith resident Robert Drysdale told The National. "Those who live along the route of the tram and think they're great, and those who don't [and] think they're a waste of money".
This divergence of opinion is "unsurprisingly predictable," he said, saying it was "not helped by the awful start to the tram story when everything went horribly wrong in 2008-2012."
Despite this, and the battle that took place within the council’s chambers in the years prior to re-focus on the extension to Leith and Newhaven, the tram network has come to be a “huge boost to life in these neglected northern quarters [of Edinburgh]”.
In fact, Newhaven even rose up the Sunday Times rankings to be named among the UK's best place to live in 2026, with the trams being the first improvement mentioned in the paper's justification, with local businesses benefitting from higher footfall, and locals able to commute further out into central Edinburgh or Haymarket in close to half the time of an equivalent bus journey.
"It needs saying that while there are buses, it's much more difficult to get on and off", Jan Sharpe, an 80-year-old resident living near Ocean Terminal in Leith told me. "I use a rollator," she added, saying it's "so easy to get on and off the tram", a key factor in her, and many other people using mobility aids using them "almost every day".
Danielle Shand, who lives in The Shore area of Leith also shared her experience with the tram project, saying it's an essential connection to her work in Haymarket.
"I’ve seen comments saying that people should 'just use the buses' or asking what everyone did before the trams existed, but I don’t think that’s a fair comparison," she said, saying Edinburgh's population has grown and needs have shifted as "many people now live and work in areas where the tram is the primary form of public transport".
"The bus network simply isn’t able to absorb this level of demand," she added.
Her commute takes "around 25 minutes" on the tram, compared to "at least an hour and a half" on the bus – she has since tried to cycle, but with Scotland's temperamental weather, "arrived absolutely soaked before an important client meeting," an experience that led her to driving instead, forking out for parking.
These experiences – joined with the testimony of many other businesses and locals – show that despite a botched beginning, the trams have woven themselves into the fabric of everyday life for many in the capital.
The fire has broken that thread, and the reaction – from council officials, transport chiefs and the Scottish Government – show a fragility not seen since the project was tackling its early birthing pains.
"What has frustrated me most is the apparent lack of organisation, urgency and leadership from the council," Shand said. "The response has felt slow, poorly coordinated and lacking in any real sense of urgency for the thousands of residents, workers and visitors affected every day."
The City of Edinburgh Council said on July 29 that work on the site is expected to continue for at least another three weeks.
Suggestions to transport some trams northwards to serve the Newhaven to City Centre stops have been rejected as impractical, with trams now only running from the airport to Shandwick Place.
But communities have said this reaction is not adequate for the amount of disruption caused.
"Even before this disruption, demand regularly exceeded capacity, yet there seems to have been no contingency planning or additional provision to help the thousands of people who rely on the service," Shand said.
Another local resident, Gina Murrell, living in Newhaven, said she has been "disgusted at how the residents and businesses in the area from St Andrew Square to Newhaven are being treated in this matter.
"It's obvious that no disaster planning took place when the trams were extended, otherwise, they would have had a system that allowed trams to be parked at both the airport and Newhaven," she added.
Locals have also drawn comparisons to the Scottish Government reaction to the blaze on Glasgow's Union Street, which closed Glasgow Central Station, wherein a £10m funding package was announced to support the city's recovery.
Shand added: "The Scottish Government also have shown an absolute lack of care and empathy, especially considering the support Glasgow has received.
"In many other countries, a major transport disruption like this would see engineers and contractors working around the clock to restore the service as quickly as possible.
"Instead, Edinburgh has become something of a laughing stock."
This concern that the reaction has been too slow was echoed by East Coast bus driver David Ure, who said he and his colleagues are on the front line "getting it in the neck" when passenger's journeys are delayed or diverted.
Officials maintain that work is progressing behind the scenes, with Deputy First Minister saying on Friday that she is "acutely aware" of the issues facing businesses and locals, announcing that she will meet the leader of the council to discuss potential financial support.
"The Scottish Government has been working with City of Edinburgh Council and other partners to deliver the immediate priorities of ensuring the public's safety while minimising and reducing disruption.
"I will meet with the council leader next week to make clear what further support ministers can provide, including financial assistance, to help alleviate the situation," she said.
But as communities to the north of Edinburgh urge for more urgent action, the fire's disruption offers a clearer view of how essential the tram network has become, despite its cost, and offers food for thought as the council deliberates on future expansions to the north and south.
