Mock tram aiming to get critics on board

A FULL-SCALE model of an Edinburgh tram is set to go on display in the Capital in a bid to win over opponents of the £512 million project.

Work is currently under way to assemble the model tram, which it is hoped will be exhibited to the public early in the new year.

It is believed that one idea currently under consideration is to create a mock-up of a tram stop, which could go on show in Princes Street Gardens.

The final model, which will look similar to the one created by Spanish firm CAF in its Bilbao factory, will not include mechanical parts, but will feature a fully kitted-out cockpit.

While the location of the tram exhibit has not been finalised, it is expected that visitors will be able to get on board the model to get a better idea of the kind of transport they will be able to enjoy when the tram line is finished in 2011.

And they will also be able to find out more information about the controversial project.

A spokesman for tram firm TIE said: "The full-scale mock-up of the Edinburgh tram, consisting of two of the five sections that make up the real one, has arrived in Edinburgh.

"It will initially be used for consultations with various interest groups, before arrangements are made to display the prototype to the Edinburgh public."

Wherever the model goes on display, there is likely to be considerable interest from the public.

More than 24,000 people visited a replica of a tram that was put in Princes Street Gardens in 2005 to garner support for the scheme – making it one of the most popular visitor attractions in Scotland for the three weeks it was on show.

The exhibition featured information boards and newsletters outlining facts about the tram proposals, although there was an outcry when it emerged the cost of bringing over the model tram had topped £70,000.

Gordon Burgess of Leith Business Association said he would not be among those visiting the latest replica and suggested it may be targeted by groups opposed to the city's tram project.

"I think it should go on show in Leith Walk," he said. "We've been the first to put up with the disruption and we're going to get the first tracks, so this would be the best place for it.

"There's as much chance of it being vandalised in Princes Street Gardens as in Leith Walk."

Plans to exhibit the model come at a difficult time for the city's tram project. Last week it emerged that the £87m extension to the tram line is set to be scrapped amid a mounting cash crisis.

While the city council insisted no final decision has been made on whether to go ahead with line 1b between Roseburn and Granton, sources close to the project say it is now a "non-starter".