As part of its tour of the city the Queen’s Baton will travel on an Edinburgh Tram between the Murrayfield Tram Stop and the West End - Princes Street Tram Stop.
The Queen’s Baton will be carried across Edinburgh by over 100 batonbearers who have been nominated in recognition of their contributions to sport, community and youth projects, including representatives from the city’s secondary schools.
The day’s events will come to a close in a community concert being held in Princes Street Gardens.
The Transport for Edinburgh Travelshop on Waverley Bridge has been transformed internally and externally following an extensive refurbishment to give it an new fresh look.
You can visit the travelshop to get help with any questions and queries on all the brands under the Transport for Edinburgh umbrella which includes Edinburgh Trams, Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Bus Tours. You can also purchase your tickets there.
Pedestrians are being asked to take extra care around trams as the City gets used to the presence of the new vehicles on the road.
An incident on Princes Street on Wednesday resulted in a girl being knocked down by a tram. The driver applied emergency brakes and the girl walked away with no serious injuries.
Edinburgh Trams Director and General Manager Tom Norris said:
What an extraordinary day for everyone at Edinburgh Trams and for our new passengers. It was an absolute pleasure to welcome everyone on board. The sun shone and the people of Edinburgh came out in huge numbers to get on the tram.
Passenger services for the brand new Edinburgh Trams will get under way from 5am tomorrow (Saturday 31 May), marking the start of a new era for integrated public transport in Scotland's Capital.
Following several months of essential and rigorous testing, commissioning and training, from tomorrow the trams will become an key part of Edinburgh's transport mix, offering an efficient and sustainable link between the Airport and York Place in the city centre.
So here we are. After months of preparation, intensive testing and training under the spotlight we are ready to roll. Tomorrow we'll run our first tram along the route for paying passengers. It's an early start at 5am which is a good thing as everyone is extremely eager to get going - no one wants a lie in.
On 31 May Edinburgh’s trams will welcome the first fare-paying passengers in the city for more than 50 years. With a “ding ding” of their bells, drivers will make history as they step into they step into their cabs before heading off from the airport, the Gyle and into the capital.
As of today, Tuesday 13th it’s 18 days until we will be able to open our doors for the first fare paying passengers on Edinburgh Trams, and we can’t wait. Since the last time I wrote, there has been huge progress on all fronts on our build up to service. I think I speak for all our staff when I say that we’re all looking forward to starting passenger operations . We’re nearing the start of the journey for Edinburgh Trams, when the testing and commissioning period is complete.
Road shows are to be held over the next two weekends to give members of the public the chance to meet Edinburgh Trams staff and to look around the new vehicles before they go into operation on 31st May. The events at St Andrew Square will be held on Saturday 17th and Saturday 24th May between 12pm and 2pm when two trams will be at the stop.
Edinburgh Trams Ticketing Services Assistants will be on hand to explain how to use the new service and will be handing out tram user guides to road show visitors.
Transport Convener Councillor Lesley Hinds and Transport for Edinburgh Chief Executive Ian Craig visited a newly refurbished travel shop on Waverley Bridge on Thursday this week following its reopening.
The flagship Transport for Edinburgh facility has been completely transformed internally and externally after the company committed a £500,000 investment for the revamp of the shop.
A major new feature is a series of large display screens that will be updated instantly with the latest travel news including travel disruption and incident notices.
