Heriot-Watt students propose tram-train solution to revive Edinburgh's South Suburban railway line

Edinburgh’s South Suburban railway line hasn’t served passenger trains since 1962 – since then it’s been used to carry freight.

A circular route, the line once connected communities such as Gorgie, Morningside, Craigmillar, Portobello and Abbeyhill to the city’s main stations.

Through that time there have been plenty of proposals to return passenger services to the line as the capital looks to offer more public transport options to residents. Those calls have been hindered time and again by capacity limits at both Haymarket and Waverley stations.

But six engineering students at Heriot-Watt University think they have found a solution – trams.

The team, who have been working on the project as part of their master’s degree, believe that connecting Edinburgh’s existing tram network to the railway could be the perfect way to utilise the tracks, while extending light-rail options in the city.

Team-member Natalia Greenan told STV News: “Previous studies, they all referred to heavy rail being put on these (tracks).

“Whereas now, if we’re looking at it from a fresh perspective, considering putting a tram-train on here, it could be an extension of the Edinburgh tram network.

“It’s a vehicle that will go both on this railway, heavy rail, and on the light rail in the city. It’s used extensively in Europe and there’s a couple of projects already in the UK.”

Those existing tram-trains include transport projects in Sheffield, Rotherham and Cardiff.

Corey Boyle, another member of the group, said: “All the rails are still there so we don’t need to go on the street and the disruption (will be less) than was seen in other parts of the city.

“The stations, a lot of them are still in place and there is access to them. So we’re going to avoid all of those challenges and the traffic and save a lot of money as well.”

What started as a somewhat far-fetched project idea has grown quickly and garnered lots of support.

A petition for the proposal has received nearly two-and-a-half thousand signatures and the students say the local communities that could benefit from the proposal have been very receptive.

Student Caitlin Cummings said: “The response was amazing, the communities were so invested in wanting to hear more.

“They were interested in how this would benefit them and how as a varied community with all different needs and accessibility standards, how this could benefit them.”

The idea has also been gathering pace with local politicians who are keen to find out more.

Any decision around new infrastructure for the tram network ultimately falls within the council’s remit.

The local authority’s transport and environment convener told STV news the proposals represent a “potential future opportunity for development”.

But the council is awaiting a final strategic business case looking at an extension to the Edinburgh tram network, which would link in Granton to the north and the bio-quarter to the south.

Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said: “We’ll continue to keep Edinburgh moving and encourage all our residents and visitors to use public transport wherever possible.”

The south suburban railway line is owned and operated by Network Rail, who would need to be on-board for any of this to happen.

In the main the firm is supportive of the initial ideas.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We’re happy to support initiatives that look at how the Edinburgh South Suburban line can contribute to the public transport goals of the city.”

As is the reality with any major infrastructure project this isn’t likely to be a quick or easy process.

But the chance to link numerous Edinburgh communities into the tram network – and doing so at a lower cost and with minimal disruption – could be tempting for many of the parties involved.