Tram-Trains move a step closer for city’s South Sub rail line
Plus: Sperm whales spotted in the Forth; £50,000 whisky experience; and new "urban neighbourhood" by hospital
Might Tram-Trains finally revitalise Edinburgh’s South Suburban line?
SNP manifesto pledge shows there could be light rail at end of the tunnel
Opened in 1884. Closed to passengers in 1962. And in 2026, there’s another promise to bring it back, but this time there might be light-rail at the end of the tunnel for Edinburgh’s South Suburban Railway.
The SNP, currently projected to form the next Scottish Government, has committed in its Scottish Parliament election manifesto to a full feasibility study into reopening the South Sub using Tram-Trains. The idea has already received cross-party support in the Capital.
This builds on a conceptual metro map recently published by the City of Edinburgh Council, which incorporates the South Sub as part of a wider expanded Edinburgh tram network.
What is the South Sub?
It’s an east-west railway running across the southern arc of Edinburgh, broadly mirroring the alignment of the Edinburgh Bypass. That relationship is not incidental. The line was originally built to relieve pressure on the core rail network and provide an alternative route for freight and suburban movement, easing congestion between Portobello, Waverley and Haymarket.
It remains an intact double-tracked orbital line, still used for freight and diversions, passing through dense residential, employment and leisure destinations, including some of Edinburgh’s most deprived communities.
Why back it now?
In one of the most congested cities in the UK, that congestion-busting function remains critical. Drivers in Edinburgh spend around 40% of their travel time in traffic, with congestion estimated to cost around £700 per driver each year, adding up to approximately £177 million annually across the city.
The city’s transport reality sharpens the question. Around 37% of Edinburgh households do not have access to a car, higher than the Scottish average of 26% and the UK average of 22%. For many residents, particularly in lower-income areas along the corridor, there is a clear need for reliable, affordable alternatives to car-based travel.
What’s different this time?
The last South Sub feasibility study in 2008 focused on reopening the line as a heavy rail service into Haymarket and Waverley. It concluded that costs were prohibitive, largely due to capacity constraints at both stations. The key difference this time is Tram-Trains.
While Tram-Train options were considered in 2008, the Edinburgh tram network did not yet exist and would not open until 2011. This is the real game changer.
What are Tram-Trains?
Light rail vehicles designed to operate on both street tram infrastructure and heavy rail lines. They are built to meet mainline safety standards and equipped with signalling and communication systems that allow them to run on both the Edinburgh tram network and Network Rail infrastructure.
Tram-Trains have been used across Europe since 1992, for over 40 years, particularly in Germany. In the UK, Tram-Trains have been running in Sheffield since 2018, with the aforementioned Cardiff scheme now being introduced, and Manchester recently announced plans in late 2025 to follow.
So, when could it happen?
While there’s no doubting the SNP’s commitment to a feasibility study is a significant step forward, there remain a number of barriers, including unknown costs which have been estimated at £1bn-plus. The reopening of the South Sub could be incorporated into the Scottish Government’s often restated priority, outlined in its Sestransit plans, for a mass transit system for the whole of South East Scotland. Like the city council’s proposed £2bn North-South Tram extension, it will need to compete for funding alongside proposals to tackle severe peak-time congestion in and out of the city from Midlothian and West Lothian.
A people-led effort
A Heriot-Watt University student group helped reignite interest in the South Sub by exploring proposals to reopen the line last year. That work built on decades of sustained effort by campaign groups, researchers and ongoing policy development.
They proposed reopening the South Sub as a direct extension of the Edinburgh tram network, serving 11 stations along the route: Gorgie, Craiglockhart, Morningside, Blackford Hill, Newington, Cameron Toll, Duddingston & Craigmillar, Bingham-Niddrie, Fort Kinnaird, Brunstane and Portobello.
But it has the potential to form the backbone of a regional Lothians-wide Tram-Train network, with future extensions via the Borders Railway to Musselburgh, Queen Margaret University, Dalkeith and Penicuik, and westwards along the Caledonian Railway line towards Slateford, Wester Hailes, Heriot-Watt University, Livingston and beyond.
Following on from this work,Tram Trains for Edinburgh (TTfE), a volunteer-led campaign group, is holding a series of public meetings along the proposed route, with the latest being on Thursday, 23 April, at King’s Buildings in Newington. Among the speakers will be Inquirer contributor Corey Boyle, a graduate civil engineer at Sweco in Active Travel, who was the recipient of the Princess Royal Award for Emerging Engineers from the Institution of Civil Engineers for 2025. Around 300 tickets have already been taken.
(Don’t miss tomorrow’s newsletter for Corey Boyle’s in-depth look at the Capital’s data centres conundrum)
YOUR EDINBURGH BRIEFING
SPERM WHALES: A rare sighting believed to be of sperm whales has been made in the Firth of Forth from Kinghorn in Fife over the weekend. Humpback whales are increasingly frequent visitors to the Forth, but sperm whales are rare visitors as they prefer deeper water.
HOSPITAL HOMES: Developer Ryden has submitted plans to the city council for an “urban neighbourhood” on land just south of the Royal Infirmary. The BioQuarter development will see homes, labs, student flats and shops built on land owned by Scottish Enterprise. The developers estimate 20,000 people would live, study or work on the site once work is complete.
WHISKY A GO GO: The Johnnie Walker Experience on Princes Street is offering a personalised whisky blending session for two for £50,000 to attract wealthy tourists. The premium offering includes two nights at Gleneagles and Michelin-starred meals and culminates in the private blending session in a former RBS vault within the Princes Street visitor attraction, journalist and author Ian Fraser reports.
CHURCH SALE: The gothic-style Holy Trinity Church at Dean Bridge has been put up for sale for offers over £750,000. It is being advertised by Graham & Sibbald as a potential homes, office or leisure development opportunity.
STAR SCIENTIST: An astronomer who played a key role in developing the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been awarded one of Europe’s top space science honours. Professor Gillian Wright, the former director of the UK Astronomy Technology Centre at the Royal Observatory, has been presented with the prestigious Tycho Brahe Medal by the European Astronomical Society. The JWST is the largest and most powerful infrared space observatory ever launched.
PALACE AIRBNB: It has served as a police station and an Armenian restaurant, but now plans have been submitted to turn an empty building opposite Holyrood Palace into a luxury short-term let. The B-listed red sandstone building at Abbeyhill would be converted into a 6-bedroom rental property, with a hot tub, sauna and library, under plans submitted by McTaggart Ltd.
STONEWALL CHIEF: Former Scottish Labour leader and Lothian MSP Kezia Dugdale has been appointed chairwoman of LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall. Currently chair of Shelter in Scotland, she will take up her new UK-wide role in September. In 2004, she warned progress on LGBT rights in Scotland was “fragile”, saying she always checked her surroundings before holding her wife’s hand in public.
Pic of the week
THE BUSINESS
ALMOST DONE: Edinburgh’s OMNi centre is nearing completion of a £5 million refurbishment which has delivered enhanced public realm, new flooring throughout the centre, an upgraded main entrance, modern LED lighting, new seating zones, and extensive internal structural improvements.
CHEERS: Jump Ship Brewing, the alcohol-free brewery founded by Sonja Mitchell, has received an undisclosed sum in investment from Mint Ventures. The funds are planned to scale production as demand for alcohol-free drinks rises. The Pathhead-based brewer has won multiple awards for its products, which include its flagship Yardarm lager.
PARTNERSHIP BLOSSOMS: Midlothian-based Dobbies Garden Centres has raised £235,000 in the first year of its national charity partnership with Alzheimer’s Research UK, which is more than triple the original fundraising target.
STORE SALE: Seafield Retail Park in the east of Edinburgh has been sold by Rankeilour Properties to Crown Estate Scotland for £5.7 million. The Park has a number of units, notably Halfords and food outlets including Greggs and Subway.
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
SCI-FI FEST: Scotland’s Festival of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Writing, Cymera, returns in June for its eight edition. The festival will take over the Pleasance with a packed programmed of live performances, author talks, book signings, bookish quizzes, and more, on 5-7 June.
BY THE SEASIDE: Porty Festival is back bigger and better on Saturday and Sunday, 2 and 3 May, with live music, a local makers’ markets, street food, tours and the return of its popular dog competition. As well as taking over Portobello Town Hall, there will be activities on the beach across the weekend, as well as a vintage clothes pop-up at the festival hub, Unity Hair Studio, on the High Street.
PORT OF ART: The Edinburgh Arts Festival has announced it is moving its headquarters to Leith as it unveiled a full programme of city-wide exhibitions on 14-30 August. Highlights include Gwen John and Catherine Opie at the National Galleries of Scotland; Katie Paterson at the Collective Gallery; a sculptural commission from Sgàire Wood at Jupiter Artland; and Costume Couture: Sixty Years of Cosprop at Dovecot.
QUICK BITES
GOOD NEIGHBOURS: Craft brewer Cold Town Beer – owned by Edinburgh-based hospitality company Signature Group – is supporting the “Neighbourgood” outdoor summer food and drink market in Stockbridge from 1 May to 2 August, involving beer tastings, live World Cup screenings on a giant outdoor screen, and other entertainment.
STARRY NIGHTS: Renowned Edinburgh pub the Starbank Inn has been rated one of the UK’s top Greene King pubs through research carried out into customer reviews. The Newhaven bar, nicknamed The Starry, came out second top in Scotland and ninth in the UK.