Edinburgh Trams<\/a> team to ensuring residents, visitors and local businesses enjoy maximum benefit from the \u00a3207 million investment in the line.<\/p>\nLea Harrison, Edinburgh Trams Managing Director, explained: \u201cThe completion of the Trams Newhaven project on time and on budget was a remarkable achievement, but the positive impact of the new route on the communities it serves has been equally impressive.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn June 2023, our \u2018Cleaner, better, faster, longer\u2019 launch campaign helped the extended services get off to a flying start, and new stops such as The Shore and Ocean Terminal are now among the busiest on the network.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve also established partnerships with businesses and attractions along the route, including Royal Yacht Britannia, Port of Leith Distillery and Cruise Forth, which have also helped attract visitors while driving up customer numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overall, 9.3 million journeys were taken by tram in 2023 \u2013 a 90 per cent increase on 2022 \u2013 and records began to tumble even before the launch of services to Newhaven. In May, Edinburgh Trams recorded its highest daily patronage figures when Harry Styles took to the stage at Murrayfield Stadium, and the operator\u2019s support for major cultural and sporting events in the city continues to help drive the expanded network\u2019s growing popularity.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the clear success of the new route, George Lowder, Chief Executive of Transport for Edinburgh, said: \u201cForming the backbone of an integrated transport network, the expanded tramway is also helping us to meet our target of becoming a Net Zero city by 2030.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince the opening of the line, we\u2019ve seen an increasing number of people discover the benefits of public transport and take advantage of a swift, convenient and reliable way to get around our great city for business or leisure.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the popularity of the tram has reached new heights in 2023, further enhancements are planned in the months ahead. These include final testing of an integrated tap-on, tap-off contactless ticketing system.<\/p>\n
Lea Harrison added: \u201cThe past year has seen the Edinburgh Trams go from strength to strength, but we\u2019re never complacent and constantly striving to deliver an even better experience for customers while finding innovative ways to make the tram an increasingly attractive travel option.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other key facts from the 2023 patronage figures include:<\/p>\n
\u00b7 9.3 million customer journeys in 2023, an increase of over 90 per cent on the 4.8 million recorded in 2022.<\/p>\n
\u00b7 The busiest month across the network was August, when 1.2 million trips were recorded.<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Edinburgh Airport was the busiest stop on the network.<\/p>\n
\u00b7 The Shore was the busiest stop on the new route to Newhaven.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The opening of a new line has delivered a massive boost to the popularity of Edinburgh\u2019s award-winning tram network, with customer numbers more than doubling […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":17595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[7,11],"class_list":["post-17594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rail-news","tag-transport","tag-usa"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t