03.11.16
Edinburgh’s £41m tram-train interchange to open next month
Rail passengers travelling to Edinburgh will be able to transfer directly to the tram for onward travel to the airport at a new interchange from next month.
The £41m Edinburgh Gateway interchange, situated between South Gyle and Dalmeny stations, will open on 11 December.
It will allow passengers from Fife and further north to transfer directly onto the tram network for onward travel to Edinburgh Airport, and to buy a combined train and tram ticket.
Phil Verster, ScotRail Alliance managing director, said: “Edinburgh Gateway interchange will be a hugely convenient transport hub for a vast array of customers, bringing new journey opportunities and better connections for people travelling into and around the capital.
“Thanks to the smooth transition with the tram network, this is another step forward for integrated travel and supports the future economic investment and activity in the area.”
The new interchange station will offer direct trains to Perth, Dundee and Inverness, as well as to the city centre and Fife.
Between the interchange and South Gyle, the number of trains serving north west Edinburgh will increase from four an hour to six.
In addition, 14 trains from Fife will arrive at the stations between 07:00-09:00, making it easier for commuters travelling to Edinburgh Business Park. A similar number of services will be available during the evening peak.
The station features two 265m, 10-car platforms and 1,500 square metres of concourse and circulation space.
The number of trains calling at South Gyle will reduce from current levels to two per hour, but with an additional service in the morning and evening peaks.
A step-free access bridge will link the platforms within the station and connect to the tram stop via lifts and escalators, while an underpass beneath the A8 will provide pedestrian access from the nearby Gyle centre.
Edinburgh Gateway is part of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP), which also includes a rolling programme of electrification. But the station will not offer services to Glasgow and the west as originally planned, following cuts to EGIP in 2012.
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) recently warned that EGIP is not on track to meet all its end-of-year targets. And Hamza Yousaf MSP, the Scottish transport minister, called for Network Rail in Scotland to be devolved after an independent report found that the cost of the programme of Scottish rail improvement projects had increased from £1.1bn to £1.5bn.
(Image c. Network Rail)
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