Princes Street to reopen on Saturday

Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams are working to resume services, with pedestrian access restored between Castle and Frederick Street for the first time since 9 July.

Subject to successful testing overnight on Friday, trams will run to their full route from the Airport to Newhaven and all city centre bus diversions will end.

Passengers are being encouraged to continue planning ahead and checking for the latest travel updates and information on the Council’s website. Operators will publish updated timetabling information ahead of the weekend.

The three eastbound bus stops between Castle Street and Frederick Street will remain closed, with westbound bus stops unaffected.

Remedial work on the site will continue, which requires the pavement on the north side of Princes Street to remain closed. One lane of the eastbound carriageway will be used as a temporary pedestrian walkway.

Significant work has been carried out over the past seven weeks to make the building safe, including:

• The front façade of the building has now been fully stabilised with supporting steel beams
• The eastern gable of the building has been secured and made safe. This involved reducing it in height by approximately two metres and supporting it with scaffolding
• Several tonnes of bricks and unsafe stonework – some weighing as much as 850kg – from the upper levels of the façade have been carefully removed and stored for reuse
• Several tonnes of debris and dangerous materials have been removed from the building.

The closure has had a significant effect on the city, particularly on businesses on the northern section of the tram route, including Newhaven, Leith and The Shore. Ongoing work to support these businesses includes:

• The development of a promotional campaign More By The Shore  to drive footfall to businesses in the area
• The campaign will involve special offers, a voucher scheme, events and more – with more details to follow in the coming weeks
• Direct Engagement and Communications – officers will continue speaking directly to businesses in the area over the next few weeks, holding online briefings and issuing information and other advice.

Council Leader Jane Meagher said:

The reopening of Princes Street is a significant step in the city’s recovery from, what was, a devastating fire – and I’m sure it will come as a great relief to many. This has been an incredibly difficult few weeks for the city, not least given the timing, and I’m pleased that we can now turn our attention to getting Edinburgh back to normal as well as helping those businesses most affected to get back on their feet.

A great deal of effort has gone on behind the scenes to make this possible – and my thanks go to our council teams and engineers who have carried out painstaking work to make the building secure as quickly and safely as possible. I also want to thank Lothian Buses, and their drivers, for keeping the city moving and our residents and visitors for their patience.

I think it’s fair to say that this period has further underlined the critical importance and popularity of our tram network, not just to the north of the city but to the whole of Edinburgh.

With that in mind, I’m pleased that our business support campaign ‘More by the Shore’ is taking shape – and will soon be encouraging more residents and visitors to explore Leith, the Shore and Newhaven, and visit the fantastic local businesses there. This activity is planned to run well beyond the reopening of Princes Street, over the festive period and into the new year.

Sarah Boyd, Chief Executive for Lothian and Edinburgh Trams said:

We welcome the news that Princes Street is due to reopen on Saturday 29 August.

Our teams are now focused on reinstating bus and tram services along one of the city’s most important transport corridors and we encourage customers to check the latest service updates and allow extra time for travel.

I would like to thank our customers for their patience, understanding and support throughout this period of continued disruption. We are also grateful to our colleagues, whose professionalism, flexibility and commitment continued to keep Edinburgh moving during a particularly challenging time.

Finally, we would like to acknowledge the close collaboration of our partners, including the emergency services, the City of Edinburgh Council and other agencies involved in responding to this incident.  Their collective efforts have helped ensure services can begin to return safely and efficiently for the benefit of Edinburgh’s residents, visitors and businesses.

The latest updates, information and advice will continue to be posted on the Council’s dedicated webpage.