Trams project - 'Some radical change could be coming'

THE news that trams firm TIE and its main contractors are in dispute about yet another part of the beleaguered project will not come as a surprise to many.

The two sides have been all-but at war for months, with independent mediation now looking like the only chance for progress.

But what is striking about this latest argument, over the Princes Street stretch, is the sheer scale of the figures involved in this most high-profile section of the tram track.

The two sides are 3 million apart on their assessment of what the job was worth, with the consortium charged with building the tramline looking for more than 12m after claiming much more work was involved than expected.

This, remember, is for a short stretch which was originally supposed to cost just 2m.

Princes Street may have been taken out of the original deal to try to speed up this crucial section, but the overrun on cost and the resultant arguments are a perfect microcosm of the entire project so far.

The adjudication process will now kick in over Princes Street, and each side has spun previous decisions in their favour, though most observers accept that the consortium has won more than it has lost.

Meanwhile, both parties will be readying themselves for the intervention of the American mediator in March.

Within the next few days we will also have a key report from Audit Scotland, which is expected to point out flaws in the way the contract has been managed so far. The council's relationship with TIE may well be scrutinised and criticised.

All of which means various forces are coming together which could soon lead to radical change in the trams project. And not before time.

Rail improvement

the prospect of lugging your bags up to Waverley Bridge from the station platform just to reach the nearest taxi rank will make many rail passengers' hearts sink.

But that is what able-bodied travellers will have to do for three months to allow for on-going work on a 130 million station revamp this spring.

Waverley was built in the early years of Queen Victoria's reign and to be blunt some parts now show every one of its 165 years service.

Ultimately, we are promised sunlight on the platforms, more escalators and lifts and less clutter - now waiting for that has got to be worthwhile for rail passengers.