Building a whole new tramline for a city takes years and years. Even before construction starts, conversations and consultations can go on for decades. In Edinburgh’s case, part of its tram system, first proposed in 2001, is still yet to be made reality.
Right now, the council is trying to decide between two places for an important section of its new north to south tramline: Orchard Brae or Roseburn Path. Local leaders argue that Roseburn Path is the better option, but residents are concerned that they would lose one of their most beloved green spaces and active travel routes. Campaigners at Save the Roseburn Path argue that Orchard Brae should be the preferred option.
But that comes with its own difficulties. If the council decides that trams should run through Orchard Brae, then it’ll have to deal with the issue of how trams would get across the 193-year-old Dean Bridge. The bridge, which towers over the Water of Leith is category A listed, a status that ‘protects the aesthetics and position of the bridge as a prominent structure on the approach to the west end of the city’. It was designed by famous civil engineer Thomas Telford in the 1820s and leads into Dean Village, one of Edinburgh’s most popular tourist spots.
In a new viability report, the council has laid out the different ways that it could make the Orchard Brae tramline work. Any changes to the bridge itself, which already supports a road, would need to be run by Historic Environmental Scotland.
One option is to add two tram tracks to Dean Bridge, but there are concerns about it being able to take on load that it wasn’t originally designed for. Another is to build a new bridge altogether. The Dean Bridge Structures Report says that erecting a new structure for the tram would mean that there wouldn’t be any limitations on its load carrying capacity and that it can be designed to last 120 years. It would also mean that Dean Bridge itself could be left alone.
The issue with the idea is that the it could alter the aesthetic of the neighbouring conservation area. The council adds that construction would be complicated and that it would be the least cost effective of the possible solutions.
A public consultation for the new tramline opened on Monday, August 24. It closes on November 17 and its results will be presented to the city’s Transport and Environment Committee in 2026. After that, (if Orchard Brae emerges as the preferred option) more work would need to be undertaken to decide on whether or not the build on the existing Dean Bridge.
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