City council awarded for saving Edinburgh trams

Edinburgh City Council have been awarded for 'turning around' the controversial tram project. Picture: Lisa Ferguson

The accolade was awarded in honour of the ‘strong leadership’ demonstrated by chief executive Sue Bruce and transport convener Cllr Lesley Hinds in bringing the project in on its revised timetable and revised £776 million budget, following a mediation process in 2011.

It was originally promised that the trams would be delivered on multiple lines by 2009 at a price of £375 million. In the end a single, truncated tram line opened in May this year at a cost of £1 billion.

Sue Bruce collected the Judges’ Special Award from Baroness Kramer, Minister of State for Transport and broadcaster and journalist Nicholas Owen at a special ceremony in London for the 2014 Light Rail Awards

Cllr Hinds said: “The judges said that two years ago some people didn’t think trams would ever materalise in Edinburgh - I for one certainly didn’t expect to be winning this kind of industry accolade when I first took over the project in May 2012. It’s an honour to be presented with this Light Rail Award and credit is due to everyone at the council, Edinburgh Trams and the project contractors whose exemplary joint working got trams up and running earlier this year.”