QUESTIONS MUST BE ANSWERED ON TRAM PROJECT.

QUESTIONS MUST BE ANSWERED ON TRAM PROJECT.

TEN QUESTIONS TIE MUST ANSWER

Following the resolution of a dispute between Edinburgh Tram developers TIE and their contractors SNP MSP Shirley-Anne Somerville has demanded TIE now give straight answers to a series of questions they have avoided throughout the dispute.

Ms Somerville has issued the following set of questions to Transport Initiatives Edinburgh.

1) Will Princes St be open for the Edinburgh Festival?
2) Will Princes St be open for the Winter Festival and Hogmanay?
3) How far behind schedule is the tram project currently and how far over budget?
4) When will the project now be completed?
5) How much will Tram Line 1 from Leith to Edinburgh Airport now cost?
6) Have any new terms, financial or otherwise been agreed with Bilfinger Berger and if so what are they?
7) Have any penalties been applied to contractors for the delay in completing their work?
8) How much subsidy will be required and for how long from Lothian Buses to the Tram project once Trams are running on Edinburgh’s streets?

9) What guarantees have been given that there will be no further stoppages by any contractor?
10) Are there any outstanding issues between TIE, Bilfinger Berger and any other contractor?

Lothians MSP Shirley-Anne Somerville said;

"Ending this dispute is a welcome step but there are still many questions to be answered over this project.

“TIE’s refusal to be open and honest with the Edinburgh public has been a characteristic of this project from day one.

“No one believes this project will be on time or on budget. It’s time for TIE to own up and give us real answers on the final cost and deadline for this project.

"Crucially we must be told the fate of Princes St for the Edinburgh Festival and Hogmanay. This fiasco has already turned off our shoppers. It must not be allowed to deter tourists in what will be a vital summer and Hogmanay season for the city’s economy.

“Our major stores have lost business, independent traders have seen footfall reduced and people across the city have put up with four weeks of frustration without a centimetre of track being laid.

"It is time TIE owned up to the people of Edinburgh, got a grip of this project and got on with getting our magnificent city back to normal.

“This state of affairs must never happen again."