Tram services during Edinburgh’s festive season

With a fantastic array of seasonal attractions over the next few weeks, Christmas celebrations in Edinburgh are in full swing, and residents and visitors are being urged to take the tram to help them make the most of the festivities.

Edinburgh Trams is a quick and convenient way to get to and from locations in the city that is currently hosting top attractions, including a magical winter wonderland that’s just a short walk from Princes Street stop.

With the exception of Christmas Day itself, when the tram team will also be enjoying a well-earned day off, services will run from every seven minutes between the Airport and Newhaven throughout the festive season.

Sarah Singh, Edinburgh Trams’ Head of Service Delivery, commented:

We’re always committed to providing a premium service by helping local residents can tourists to enjoy all the delicious scents, lights, carols, and entertainment on offer in Edinburgh over the next few weeks, without the worry of getting stuck in traffic, or the stress of having to find a parking spot in the city centre.

Naturally, with all the Christmas events taking place, roads around Edinburgh are extremely busy. However, anyone travelling by car is encouraged to park at Ingliston Park & Ride, which is just off the A8 Airport Junction on Eastfield Road, before connecting with the tram.

Tram services throughout the festive period will be as follows:

• Christmas Eve – Sunday 24^th December 2023: Normal Sunday service with trams from every 7 minutes.
• Christmas Day – Monday 25^th December: Sorry, no services will run today.
• Boxing Day – Tuesday 26^th December: Normal weekday service with trams from every 7 minutes.
• Wednesday 27^th – Friday 29^th December: Normal weekday services with trams from every 7 minutes.
• Saturday 30^th December (download here): Normal Saturday service until 7pm when the Hogmanay Street party road closures take effect. This means the network will split into two sections: Trams will run from every 10 minutes between Edinburgh Airport - West End, and Picardy Place – Newhaven. 
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  • The last full route tram to Newhaven leaves the Airport at 18:21 and Princes Street at 18:52.
  • The last full route tram to Edinburgh Airport leaves Newhaven at 18:30 and Princes Street at 18:53.
  • The last tram from Picardy Place to Newhaven is at 00:13.
  • The last tram from West End to Airport is at 00:22.
• Sunday 31^st December – New Year's Eve (download here): The split service will operate all day with trams running between Edinburgh Airport - West End, and Picardy Place – Newhaven from every 10 minutes. There are no trams to Princes Street or St Andrew Square stops due to the Hogmanay Street party road closures. 
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• After midnight, all trams will be FREE to help everyone get home safely!

  The split service will run between West End - Airport and Picardy Place - Newhaven, serving all stops along the way.

• • Between Midnight and 2am trams will run from every 10 minutes.
  • From 2am to the normal start of service trams will run from every 20 minutes.
• Monday 1^st January 2024 (download here): The split service will continue to run with trams between Edinburgh Airport - West End, and Picardy Place – Newhaven from every 10 minutes until approx. 10am. Once the roads have reopened, a full service between Edinburgh Airport and Newhaven will resume from every 7 minutes. 
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  • The first full route tram to Newhaven is scheduled to leave the Airport at 09:28 and Princes Street at 09:59.
  • The first full route tram to Edinburgh Airport is scheduled to leave Newhaven at 09:40 and Princes Street at 10:03.

Customer Relations and TravelHubs will be available at the following times:

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