Abandonment charge after £2m trams are left out in cold

Published on Wednesday 22 December 2010 16:20

TRAM bosses have been criticised after the first of their £2 million vehicles was found lying in bits and covered in snow at an industrial estate.

• The symbol of edinburgh's transports hopes – the tram – lies snowbound and beleaguered in broxburn

Critics said tram firm TIE had "abandoned" the vehicle, which was tracked down by the News at the East Mains industrial estate in Broxburn.

The vehicle, the first of 27 set to be delivered by a Spanish manufacturer, was moved to Broxburn in November after it emerged the Gogar depot was not ready to receive it.

TIE is unable to say when the depot will be finished.

The tram had earlier sat in the middle of Princes Street for several months, and TIE today said that the wintry weather would not damage the vehicle's components.

A spokesman said: "The tram is designed to be stored as well as operate at low temperature levels and outdoor conditions.

"The equipment on the tram is specified to exist in temperatures as low as -40C without harm. For example, tram vehicles in other locations around the world where there are similar conditions sustain this weather very well and indeed had the tram been operating it would have continued to operate without any impact on its performance down to the temperature of minus fifteen.

"In addition, the tram vehicle is checked regularly and this will continue to be the case moving forwards for the relatively short period before it can be delivered to the depot at Gogar."

But John Carson, a former head of maintenance at Network Rail, said it was "unbelievable" the tram had been left out in such extreme temperatures.

He said: "Most of the machinery for the tram is on its roof and they have just left it abandoned in the snow.

"How are they possibly going to get these things working in two or five years when the line is up and running?

"The picture sums up the whole project - abandonment."

Last month, the Evening News revealed the tram was being taken to Broxburn after a war of words broke out between TIE and Bilfinger Berger. Contractors working on the depot claimed TIE had given less than two weeks' notice of their intention to move the tram there from Princes Street.

It is understood that an area needed for vehicle access was not ready and that tracks and a turning circle had yet to be installed.

After failing to reach an agreement with its construction consortium about getting the works carried out, TIE decided to take the tram to West Lothian instead, where it is not being charged storage costs to keep the tram on site.

There had been suggestions that TIE had attempted to offload the tram at Gogar, but had been blocked by the contractor. However, a spokeswoman for the tram firm said that was "utter nonsense", adding that all parties knew of the decision to take the tram to Broxburn by November 18.