Princes Street fire: Call for extra buses to make up for lack of trams between city centre and Leith
‘I think that requesting extra bus services is a reasonable demand’ - Cllr Katrina Faccenda
The suspension of trams between the city centre and Newhaven has left some people unable to get to work on time because the buses are full.
No trams are running to and from Leith following the closure of Princes Street because of last week’s fire in the former Debenhams store. And the council has said the closure is expected to continue into August while experts assess the safety and condition of the building.
Now Leith Labour councillor Katrina Faccenda is calling for extra buses to help make up for the lack of tram services.
She said she had written to Lothian Buses and council chiefs with a list of requests.
These included:
- Additional rush hour services for the No 16 and any other services on the tram route which passengers are now finding they can’t get on because they’re full.
- A tram substitute express bus from the city centre to Leith Shore and Newhaven.
- A temporary bus stop for rerouted buses between the east and west ends of Princes Street.
She said as well as the Lothian Buses chief executive, she had also written to Edinburgh transport convener Stephen Jenkinson and council chief executive Paul Lawrence.
Cllr Faccenda said: “Following the closure of Princes Street and suspension of the tram service to Leith and Newhaven bus services to and from Leith have been under pressure.
“I have heard from constituents who have been unable to get to work on time due to the 16, the most direct route from Leith to the city centre being full.
“I have also heard from the Shore Business Collective who are already noticing a decline in footfall.
“Whilst I appreciate the difficulties in predicting when trams will be able to run along Princes Street to get to Leith and the pressures under which Lothian Buses is already working I think that requesting extra bus services is a reasonable demand.
“The removal of the 22 bus to Ocean Terminal was justified by the opening of the tram. We now have no tram and no 22.”
When she posted on social media about her request to Lothian Buses, one person commented: “I’ve been unable to get on two buses in the last two days due to the bus being full to capacity. They need to get some trams down to Newhaven or it is going to be chaos.”
And the Evening News has already reported how businesses in Leith fear their summer trade will not be as strong as they had hoped because of the lack of trams.
A spokesperson for Lothian and Edinburgh Trams said: "Teams across our bus and tram operations continue to work together to minimise disruption and meet customer demand following the recent incident on Princes Street.
“This remains a significant operational challenge for bus and tram, and we are deploying every available resource to minimise disruption.
“Working with our City of Edinburgh Council-led multi-agency partners, we are actively exploring options to maintain reliable services and maximise capacity across our network.
“We thank our customers for their patience and understanding and encourage them to check the latest service updates and allow extra time for their journey.
“We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our colleagues for their continued professionalism and commitment to keep the city moving."
They said ticket acceptance was in place on bus services 16 and 25 between the West End and Newhaven, and on service 17 which operates from Ocean Terminal to Edinburgh Airport.
Airlink 100 customers can also use airport return tickets on Edinburgh Trams between West End/Haymarket and Edinburgh Airport.
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