'They will aid the passenger experience'

Work on the project to bring trams to Edinburgh is well under way. Neil Renilson, chief executive of Transport Edinburgh Limited, explains how the new system will work.

" Trams will be running on the streets of Edinburgh by early 2011.

They will be a valuable addition to the city's award winning integrated transport network under the common ownership of Transport Edinburgh Limited (Tel), an arms-length company of Edinburgh City Council.

Tel will be responsible for the operation of the city's 750 buses (operated by Lothian Buses) and 27 trams, making sure both buses and trams run in harmony with each other and feature common branding, ticketing and information provision.

The current bus network will have relatively little changed once the trams start operating in 2011 with only a few route variations to accommodate the tram system.

Common ticketing will exist between bus and tram with day tickets and season tickets valid on both bus and tram.

On-street ticketing machines have already been installed in key locations around the city centre to get passengers used to the concept of buying tickets before they board in readiness for the arrival of trams.

The trams will carry the striking "harlequin" livery and trademark Edinburgh tartan interior which is currently such a recognisable feature of the city's buses.

This coupled with joined-up passenger information such as timetable and fare leaflets and websites will reinforce that what is provided is a fully-integrated network and aid the passenger experience of travelling in Edinburgh. "