Blindtraveler
Established Member
I guess everyone has an opinion? Id also wager that not many members would be
happy
with a load of elderly Pacers and a few grotty 158s.
Moving on from the old DMU thing, I did say upthread that I was planning to go out for the first Tram on the 31st - this sadly didnt happen owing to my fellow tram basher having to work
and as things currently stand Iv still not yet done one yet but may be able to put things streight on this topic tomorrow.↲
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
10th June
There have been lots of small snippet type experiences of the New Edinburgh Trams but this I believe is the First full trip report. Given that I did a lot of moaning about 170s in the last entry and that by and large I dont feel Iv had value for money out of these trams I'll keep it brief.
A combination of a free (wet) Afternoon and my close prnximitty to a Tram Stop made me decide that a trip was needed. I took the Mrs too.
Having been spun a decade long yarn about just how accessible the entire system was going to be, we were both more than a little disconcerted to find the smartcard reader provided for validating your consession or other cards is not just a case of Hold It Right There, but actually brings up an interactive touchscreen menue. An immediate barrier to travel to anyone not able to use this as the staff, most of who seam grumpy, enforce the rules about smartcard validation punctiliously and are more than happy to smack you with the £10 onboard standard fare if you even partly break them!
Having overcome this barrier we headed to the shelter to awate the next Westbound Tram. Whilst wating a Public Address Announcement was made about the need for ticket purchase and card validation. The announcements have been a sauce of several complaints in terms of there volume which in a residential area I can understand but if, as they are proposing, the system is turned down at
All
stops, they will be inaudable at many due to other background noise.
With a ding and a swish (Im sorry but that bell recording sounds so cheep) our service arives and is already quite busy although I note that the majoritty are tourists using the Ingleston Park and Ride who have been forced onto the tram by the councils desire to provide more choice which has seen the No 12 Bus removed from the Park and ride and also from Ratho Village. I dont see how making passengers from an already poorly connected area not only change part route onto the tram but pay again to do it is providing choice? Are well I guess they needed a business case for the shortened route.
The trams themselves are unsurprisingly well built and nice enough inside but thats to be expected given who built them. A comment has however been made that windscrean wipers are perhaps not all that good? Impressed with the high back E-Leather seats and lots of grab polls, less so by the high windows and the flooring which seamed slippy when wet. Lots of glass pannels which if they were on a ADL Inviro would be rattling and shattering everywhere but as the major plus with the tram for me is that its super smooth theres not an issue. Air movement onboard also seams to be an issue.
Off round the corner to Princes Street although the PIS Announcements are so stupidly quiet that youd not have known that. I did raise this with the Ticketing Services bloke who put the defences up and said they were aware of it. Just aware? My understanding is its only a few clicks on a laptop to sort this and, given that Im told as recently as this morning that it hasnt been they are iether:
A, having more trubble fixing it than Id have though possible, B, too incapable of fixing it :a sad state of afares if so given the fleat slack, usage and the fac they all end up in the same place every night) or C, they arnt aware of it at all!
More tourists and worryingly few locals on and off towards the West End and its infamously unreliable signals which insidentally failed again later the same day. Another stop at Haymarket before heading West towards Murryfield and no doubt another vital section in the councils business case when theres events there.
Running faster now although unimpressed with acceleration as we head towards Ballgreen, Saughton andBankhead. Good to see fast running on the old guided busway, better now than it ever was for buses! None of these stops were well used.. On then to Edinburgh Park Station, Edinburgh Park Central, Gyle Centre, Gogarburn near the RBS HQ, Ingleston P and R and the Airport. A stop is also announced at the tram depot but anyone hoping to hop off and Red Pen its occupants will be disappointed as the (still inaudible) PIS Whispers that its for Staff Only!
Arival at the airport sees us almost empty proving that the majoritty of City>Airport Custom is still using the Bus and why not given how much nearer it stops and traffic permitting how much faster it feels. The next tram did offload a few suited smart things with laptops however from there overheard conversations they, like us were doing it for the novalty and would return to the No 35 Bus which again stops far nearer the terminal and has cumfortably served the Edinburgh Park>Gyle>RBS>Park and Ride>Airport custom for years and still does!
All aboard for another all stops trundle back to town, picking up a few soggy punters on the way. The shelters at the stops were a cause for concern for many in terms of protection and it seams like that concern was justified. Having used them myself Im more worried about how the materials used will stand up to the weather and the vandles. Same goes for the ticket machines which again appear unreliable, given the number of tenners being paid by people who had tried to buy but been prevented by the technology.
35 minutes later and we are heading off into the heavy rain on our way home from York Place. Now, the council have been trying to convince the doubters that they'll love it when its up and running and I went on this trip with an open mind. Having done it, I am if possible even more frustrated with this white elifant than I was before. Theres just too much wrong with it and it was never needed anyway meaning that for me and doubtless thousands of other Edinburgh Council Tax and Business Rate Payers its a very expensive retrograde step, given what it will do and has already done to the UKs best Bus Service outside London and to traffic in general.
I do always like to end on a positive so will say that the revamped Haymarket Station, with its intigration between Rail, Tram, Bus and Taxi is a major and long overdue investment, completed on time and budget (Cough Cough) and which I doubt would have happened when it did without this project. Likewise the upgrading of all entrances to Waverley, not just the steps, plus the additional pare of Escalaters by the Taxi Rank was brought on by a desire of all agencies for transport to be both intigrated and accessible although again it would have happened eventually.
In future, the Edinburgh Gateway Station will provide useful links to those from Fife wanting buses to the West/Southwest side of town without doubling back and then also the tram May and I still say May be of some help to those wanting the Gyle, Edinburgh Park, The Showground or the Airport. In the case of the former, whats wrong with walking? And for the latter, the 747 bus carries a lot of Fife>Airport custom and unless Stagecoach cut it or the Inverness/Aberdeen>Edinburgh trains start calling at Gateway then it will carry on doing so. Anyhow I look forward to yers comments and Im sure many will be up to try it out themselves before too long!
happy
with a load of elderly Pacers and a few grotty 158s.
Moving on from the old DMU thing, I did say upthread that I was planning to go out for the first Tram on the 31st - this sadly didnt happen owing to my fellow tram basher having to work
and as things currently stand Iv still not yet done one yet but may be able to put things streight on this topic tomorrow.↲--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
10th June
There have been lots of small snippet type experiences of the New Edinburgh Trams but this I believe is the First full trip report. Given that I did a lot of moaning about 170s in the last entry and that by and large I dont feel Iv had value for money out of these trams I'll keep it brief.
A combination of a free (wet) Afternoon and my close prnximitty to a Tram Stop made me decide that a trip was needed. I took the Mrs too.
Having been spun a decade long yarn about just how accessible the entire system was going to be, we were both more than a little disconcerted to find the smartcard reader provided for validating your consession or other cards is not just a case of Hold It Right There, but actually brings up an interactive touchscreen menue. An immediate barrier to travel to anyone not able to use this as the staff, most of who seam grumpy, enforce the rules about smartcard validation punctiliously and are more than happy to smack you with the £10 onboard standard fare if you even partly break them!
Having overcome this barrier we headed to the shelter to awate the next Westbound Tram. Whilst wating a Public Address Announcement was made about the need for ticket purchase and card validation. The announcements have been a sauce of several complaints in terms of there volume which in a residential area I can understand but if, as they are proposing, the system is turned down at
All
stops, they will be inaudable at many due to other background noise.
With a ding and a swish (Im sorry but that bell recording sounds so cheep) our service arives and is already quite busy although I note that the majoritty are tourists using the Ingleston Park and Ride who have been forced onto the tram by the councils desire to provide more choice which has seen the No 12 Bus removed from the Park and ride and also from Ratho Village. I dont see how making passengers from an already poorly connected area not only change part route onto the tram but pay again to do it is providing choice? Are well I guess they needed a business case for the shortened route.
The trams themselves are unsurprisingly well built and nice enough inside but thats to be expected given who built them. A comment has however been made that windscrean wipers are perhaps not all that good? Impressed with the high back E-Leather seats and lots of grab polls, less so by the high windows and the flooring which seamed slippy when wet. Lots of glass pannels which if they were on a ADL Inviro would be rattling and shattering everywhere but as the major plus with the tram for me is that its super smooth theres not an issue. Air movement onboard also seams to be an issue.
Off round the corner to Princes Street although the PIS Announcements are so stupidly quiet that youd not have known that. I did raise this with the Ticketing Services bloke who put the defences up and said they were aware of it. Just aware? My understanding is its only a few clicks on a laptop to sort this and, given that Im told as recently as this morning that it hasnt been they are iether:
A, having more trubble fixing it than Id have though possible, B, too incapable of fixing it :a sad state of afares if so given the fleat slack, usage and the fac they all end up in the same place every night) or C, they arnt aware of it at all!
More tourists and worryingly few locals on and off towards the West End and its infamously unreliable signals which insidentally failed again later the same day. Another stop at Haymarket before heading West towards Murryfield and no doubt another vital section in the councils business case when theres events there.
Running faster now although unimpressed with acceleration as we head towards Ballgreen, Saughton andBankhead. Good to see fast running on the old guided busway, better now than it ever was for buses! None of these stops were well used.. On then to Edinburgh Park Station, Edinburgh Park Central, Gyle Centre, Gogarburn near the RBS HQ, Ingleston P and R and the Airport. A stop is also announced at the tram depot but anyone hoping to hop off and Red Pen its occupants will be disappointed as the (still inaudible) PIS Whispers that its for Staff Only!
Arival at the airport sees us almost empty proving that the majoritty of City>Airport Custom is still using the Bus and why not given how much nearer it stops and traffic permitting how much faster it feels. The next tram did offload a few suited smart things with laptops however from there overheard conversations they, like us were doing it for the novalty and would return to the No 35 Bus which again stops far nearer the terminal and has cumfortably served the Edinburgh Park>Gyle>RBS>Park and Ride>Airport custom for years and still does!
All aboard for another all stops trundle back to town, picking up a few soggy punters on the way. The shelters at the stops were a cause for concern for many in terms of protection and it seams like that concern was justified. Having used them myself Im more worried about how the materials used will stand up to the weather and the vandles. Same goes for the ticket machines which again appear unreliable, given the number of tenners being paid by people who had tried to buy but been prevented by the technology.
35 minutes later and we are heading off into the heavy rain on our way home from York Place. Now, the council have been trying to convince the doubters that they'll love it when its up and running and I went on this trip with an open mind. Having done it, I am if possible even more frustrated with this white elifant than I was before. Theres just too much wrong with it and it was never needed anyway meaning that for me and doubtless thousands of other Edinburgh Council Tax and Business Rate Payers its a very expensive retrograde step, given what it will do and has already done to the UKs best Bus Service outside London and to traffic in general.
I do always like to end on a positive so will say that the revamped Haymarket Station, with its intigration between Rail, Tram, Bus and Taxi is a major and long overdue investment, completed on time and budget (Cough Cough) and which I doubt would have happened when it did without this project. Likewise the upgrading of all entrances to Waverley, not just the steps, plus the additional pare of Escalaters by the Taxi Rank was brought on by a desire of all agencies for transport to be both intigrated and accessible although again it would have happened eventually.
In future, the Edinburgh Gateway Station will provide useful links to those from Fife wanting buses to the West/Southwest side of town without doubling back and then also the tram May and I still say May be of some help to those wanting the Gyle, Edinburgh Park, The Showground or the Airport. In the case of the former, whats wrong with walking? And for the latter, the 747 bus carries a lot of Fife>Airport custom and unless Stagecoach cut it or the Inverness/Aberdeen>Edinburgh trains start calling at Gateway then it will carry on doing so. Anyhow I look forward to yers comments and Im sure many will be up to try it out themselves before too long!
