Workers return to sort out 'rush job' on Princes Street

Published on Wednesday 9 December 2009 09:24

A PATCH-up job is set to take place on Princes Street after the road surface began breaking up within days of traffic returning following the tram works.

Workers are expected to return to the street over the next few nights after the road began crumbling next to the tram tracks at the junction with The Mound.

The section, which was the last to be completed ahead of the street's reopening on 29 November, was among the areas of work hampered by bad weather.

Tram firm TIE said it had failed to add sealant to some of the rails due to heavy rainfall, leaving critics to accuse the company of carrying out a "rushed job".

News of the damage emerged as tram chiefs took out an advert in the Evening News thanking the public for its patience.

While TIE now expects the street to remain open to buses, contractors will return in the new year to begin work between Waverley Bridge and the east end of Princes Street.

Susan Clark, deputy project director, said: "On a project of this scale we would expect there to be a period of settlement where we are bringing a volume of buses back on to the street and this is exactly on plan.

"We faced phenomenal challenges in terms of appalling weather conditions and because of this it was too wet to add the necessary sealant to some rails.

"This will be completed over the coming nights whilst keeping Princes Street open."

She added: "We are delighted that Princes Street reopened on time and that we have been able to support the retailers and the people of Edinburgh during this important period."

But John Carson, an outspoken critic of the tram project and a former maintenance director at Network Rail, said news of the repairs highlighted the fact that the job had been rushed.

He said: "It's not surprising. The local contractors that worked on Princes Street did really well to get the job finished, but you wouldn't normally resurface a road and then put traffic on it straight away.

"Things were done in a rush – they were still resurfacing half an hour before the buses went back.

"I suspect there might be more of this to come, and it will be the people of Edinburgh picking up the bill."

Earlier this week, the Evening News revealed that tram chiefs are set to hold lessons on how to use Princes Street after a number of cyclists complained that wet tracks had caused them to fall.