Thousands of people in Edinburgh have replied to the council’s 12-week consultation on the proposed tram extension.
The consultation was closed to replies just before midnight on Monday this week.
The council system has calculated that 11,425 “survey submissions” were made through the consultation hub.
And additionally, there are some paper copies that are currently being reviewed.
The council proposes to extend the tramline both north and south from Granton – where 3,500 homes will eventually be built – and the BioQuarter where workplaces are springing up. The most recent is the £50 million Usher Building which was opened in the summer.
As well as replies from individual residents there were also submissions from more than 20 stakeholder organisations such as community councils.
The council also counted around 1,500 people who attended the in-person drop ins in the city.
Stakeholders such as Capital Rail Action Group and Spokes submitted lengthy responses.
Population
The population in Edinburgh is growing and so is the number of passengers on the tram. There were 12.1 million passengers who used the public transport last year and it is forecast that by 2032 there could be as many as 34 million passengers. By 2042 there would be 38 million passengers and of those 14 million journeys would be taken on the new north south route. The population of Edinburgh is currently 523,000 people and it is forecast to rise by 2042 to 587,000 people.
Costs
The council estimates at present that it will cost between £2 billion and £2.9 billion to build the line which will pass through the city centre. Journey times will depend on which route is chosen.
The consultation responses are now being analysed and a report with recommendations will be presented to the Transport and Environment Committee in the New Year.
There are still many stages to go through before there is a spade in the ground.
