We have trains that need investment, not stupid we tram lines, that no one wants OR needs.

40mph inter-city trams! Now I know the lunatics are in charge of the asylum!

This obsession with trams is getting in the way of planning 21st Century travel - now that we have the Stirling Alloa line intended to relieve presure on the Forth Bridge, we can have more real trains running direct from Edinburgh to Fife - why insist on a toy train set?

More bigoted, ill-informed comment.

Off-street, trams can travel much faster than 40mph! It makes a lot of sense to plan for trams to cross the Forth on the new bridge. The distance to Fife is not that great, after all.

~No.1 - no one wants
Poppycock! You should disabuse yourself of the fanciful notion that your view is shared by all. It isn't!

#3 - Do some research please! Trams cannot travel faster than 40mph or so as they are not powerful enough. If you want them to be faster then you need trains as everything needs scaled up; drive units, wheels, tracks, chassis, etc.

The whole idea is a nonsense given the current Forth Bridge is under utilised at present. More money wasted.

#1 - I am for the trams - so how can you say no one wants the trams? You speak absolute rubbish - but expected from the anti-tram brigade. No doubt when the tram is up and running and proving a huge success, bringing in millions, I dare say you will be the first to apologise for your drivel? I doubt it. Then Salmond will parade himself on television taking all praise for the successful project - the same project he said he would scrap if the SNP got into power - just going to show what a two-faced clown he is. Roll on the next election and it's cheerio Alex!

AT LAST some serious foresight and forward planning. This initiative is to be applauded. Now - reserve the old rail routes to Loanhead/Penicuik, Haddington, Juniper Green/Currie/Balerno and then were REALLY talking forward planning to make amends for earlier planning blunders. Paramount however, is to GET THE SUB' REOPENED AS A PROPER ELECTRIFIED PASSENGER SUBURBAN RAILWAY!! In from North Berwick (and/or East Linton/Dunbar) via Musselburgh to Waverley-Haymarket round the sub anti-clockwise to Brunstane, back to Waverley-Haymarket thence outwards via Edinburgh Park to Bathgate-Airdrie-Helensburgh & vive versa, in from Helensburgh-Airdrie-Bathgate to Edinburgh Park-Haymarket-Waverley-Brunstane, round the sub clockwise to Haymarket-Waverley and out via Musselburgh to North Berwick (East Linton-Dunbar). Such a service would entail NO TERMINATING TRAINS AT WAVERLEY, BETTER STOCK/STAFF UNTILISATION and one train unit (per each full journey, albeit covering a lot of mileage) thus performing THREE distinctly separate but otherwise TOTALLY INTEGRATED services!

Oh dear... What utter nonsense, the SNP's mishandling of the Edinburgh Airport rail link is being highlighted every day..Alex Salmond should hang his head in shame.. and all who follow him.

#6 GorgieTony
I am for the trams - so how can you say no one wants the trams? You speak absolute rubbish

The psychology of the whiners is that if they tell enough porkies and tell them often enough they will eventually come to believe their own rantings. My response is point my finger at them and laugh.

Tram land put aside in Fife

The tram leaving from stance one is the three thirty three for Methil, calling at .....
Ding ding.

Gorgie Tony No6

You are quite correct in pointing out the desperation of some of the anti-tramistas and their last defence line of stating 'facts' which are simply untrue.
I greatly welcome the line from the airport as it will enable me to drive the Range Rover to the Ingliston Park&Ride where I can board a tram for my twice-weekly consultancy work at Victoria Quay. The possibility that I may be able to use my Scottish Executive Concessionary bus pass makes it all the more attractive to me. And all the better if the line eventually crosses the Forth to a park & ride facility similar to Ingliston.

I hear loads of arguments against the trams but can anybody here give me a few for the project, since you seem to be all in favour.

I'm not totally convinced about trams to Fife - tram-trains maybe but that's not what's on offer here. Seems to me more likely that trams are a Trojan horse for a new bridge dominated by cars.

no3 have you noticed next to the Forth Road Bridge, there is the Huge Strucure...called the Forth Rail Bridge.

They'd be better planning into the new bridge a proper rail line....forward planning...its called ...in the unlikely scenario that the Rail Bridge is ever shut/closed.

No. 5: It's you who needs to do the research. From the web site of the people building Edinburgh's trams, it appears they will have a maximum speed of 80km/h, or 49mph.

http://www.caf.net/ingles/prensa/nota_prensa.php?id=8

The proposed tram-trains for the South Sub could operate up to 114 or 120 km/h.

No? Nobody willing to put a good argument forward for the trams?
typical.

The problem with your ilk (#16) is that nobody has yet put forward a coherent argument AGAINST the trams. Even the SNP has caved in! All we here is tedious, neuroric ranting rather than fact or persuasion. Where were these anti-tram people in the last elections? Oh yes, that's right, getting laughed at and then soundly trounced at the ballot box.
Since the Nats have decided Edinburgh Airport - Scotland's busiest airport - is not entitled to a railway station I think it's inevitable that attention will turn to looking for alternatives ways to link Edinburgh's City region with the airport, and perhaps trams have a part to play. Personally I'd like to see the network extended right across the Lothians and into Fife - to Livingston, to Penicuik, to Musselburgh, to Dunfermline. It must be increasimgly obvious to the motorists who seem to believe transport policy should be all about making it easier for them to drive their cars up Princes Street that the current mess of too many buses and not enough alternatives is NOT working.

#12. Good question but in fact there is only one central argument AGAINST the trams which is that it costs too much money. I mean if it was half the price there wouldnt be a problem so the issue is the cost, not the idea of trams themselves. That boils down the argument to be one of opinion about whether the cost is justified, not about whether trams are a good idea.
I can only trust that the agreed price is a fair one. Having seen the same trams and the infrastucture in other cities and im not totally shocked at 500 million. Wembly stadium cost 800 million and thats just a glorified shed isnt it?

#14 rs

I think you'll find that next to the Forth road bridge, there is the huge structure called the Forth bridge.

Sorry,

A. Pedant

#8 GBScot - we do not need a rail link to the airport. The latest results show that we have a very good bus service, serving the airport and that everyone using it is very happy with it. EARL was an over-expensive piece of nonsense and the SNP were absolutely correct in scrapping it. NO NEED FOR EXPENSIVE RAIL LINKS TO EDINBURGH AIRPORT!

#17 Liam - The trams are another complete and utter waste of money! Again, we have excellent bus services in Edinburgh and also excellent links to the main commuter towns such as Dunfermline, Penicuik and Bathgate. We absolutely do not need trams in Edinburgh. Anyone suggesting otherwise clearly hasn't a bloody clue what they are talking about. NO TO TRAMS IN EDINBURGH!