Bidding to begin on £165m Edinburgh tram extension

Aaron Morby 8 years ago
Share

Edinburgh City Council is to start bidding for its £165m tram extension project after approving the outline business case last week.

The council is taking a cautious approach to tendering after major cost overruns on the earlier city centre phases.

Under present two-stage bidding plans councillors will not make a final decision on taking the tram to Newhaven until autumn 2018.

The 12-month tendering period will allow the council to assess project affordability and  consider any lessons learned from the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry currently under way.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “Given the rate of growth forecast for Edinburgh over the coming years, we simply cannot stand still.

“And yet we can’t proceed with work to take trams down to Newhaven unless we’re 100% certain we’ve rigorously scrutinised the business case and taken on board crucial lessons from the first phase.”

He added: “Having pored over the Outline Business Case in microscopic detail these past few weeks, including obtaining independent advice on it, I’m confident our project team – which retains key personnel from the team who got the first phase back on track – is now well placed to move on to the next stage and start the procurement process for a contractor.

“We will only make our final decision next autumn once the tendering process has completed and once we’ve consulted an independent assessor on the viability of the proposed construction contracts.

“We’ll also of course consider any lessons learned from Lord Hardie’s ongoing tram inquiry as we move forward.”

proposed-new-edinburgh-tram-line-to-newhaven

Construction work is expected to take three years, including 18 months on Leith Walk, followed by four months of testing and commissioning on the new line.

Latest news

True cash cost of HS2 to date tops £40bn

New figures ditch 2019 prices as project switches to full cash terms
24 hours ago

Guinness opens bidding on £250m remediation framework

Fire and structural remediation jobs up for grabs nationwide
23 hours ago

Wills Bros wins latest £152.7m A9 dualling deal

Contractor beats off competition from Balfour and Graham
2 days ago

Lorne Stewart pulls plug on modular arm as losses mount

MDSL modular business wound down as parent LSRM reports £1.9m loss
3 days ago

New law to force tower block cladding fix by 2029

Jail threat looms as £1bn fund launched to fix unsafe social housing
3 days ago

Infrastructure Pipeline published with 780 projects worth £530bn

New online tool to provide live updates on hundreds of schemes
3 days ago

World’s largest crane lifts Hinkley dome: Video

Construction times cut by 30% on nuclear site
3 days ago

Aviva funds council housing push in north London

Barnet council seals first big institutional funding deal for housing
3 days ago

Tarmac lands Welsh road repairs deal

Tarmac will also be able to bid for improvement work on the A55 North Wales Expressway
3 days ago

Flannery invests £22m with JCB to boost fleet

Plant hirer strikes latest deal with machinery giant as fleet investment continues
3 days ago

BAM boots Danny Sullivan off £100m HS2 bat tunnel

Contractor terminates labour supply deal on controversial project
3 days ago

Mace confirmed for £200m Paddington overstation job

Helical JV also sets start date for 429-room student job over Southwark station
4 days ago

Kier names new construction boss for clients and markets

Rebecca Boundy promoted to lead sector teams after year of framework wins
3 days ago

Elements Europe went down owing supply chain £8.7m

Korean owner kept offsite specialist afloat with £71.8m of loans in bid to stem losses
4 days ago

Bristol awards £288m civils and highways framework

Eurovia, Tarmac, Colas and regional SMEs share 10-lot deal
4 days ago

Kier seals PCSA deal for £55m Bridgend school

Heronbridge special school move back on track after cost hike and delay
4 days ago

Mobile crane fire closes M11 motorway

City Lifting machine catches fire in Essex
4 days ago

Altius and Erith win landmark London tower rebuild

Westminster council advances Huguenot House redevelopment
5 days ago

Corbyn suppliers left £4.4m out-of-pocket

£33m-turnover civils contractor only employed eight staff
5 days ago

McAlpine to restore England’s largest Victorian water tower

Colchester’s iconic ‘Jumbo’ to be reborn as visitor destination
5 days ago

Andrew Scott lands £20m Grand Pavilion revamp in Porthcawl

Restoration of landmark Art Deco building gets underway with 2027 finish target
5 days ago

Keepmoat profit drops 35% as completions slide

Land pipeline expands to 24,400 plots as firm eyes rebound
5 days ago

Bid race begins for £425m water transfer scheme

Contractors invited to help shape Affinity Water project
5 days ago

Legacy building defects return to haunt Barratt Redrow

House builder sets aside £248m for Redrow fire and concrete frame fixes
5 days ago

Skanska agrees £153m price to revamp A47 Thickthorn junction

New link roads and underpasses to ease traffic near Norwich
6 days ago

First tower plans go in for £1bn Liverpool Pier Head site

First design will "set tone" of scheme which could contain 60-storey tower
6 days ago

Barhale creates new low-carbon chief board role

Haddon takes board seat while Solomon becomes eastern regional director
5 days ago

Met Police preps £300m framework for estate upgrade

Early market talks start ahead of October bid contest
6 days ago

Raft of SME firms win £94m framework places

More than 50 demolition and asbestos specialists chosen: Full list
6 days ago

GRAHAM gets go-ahead for £110m Boddingtons Brewery revamp

Work to start this summer after Gateway 2 approval secured
6 days ago