Edinburgh South Suburban Tram-Train Study Moves Forward

Plans to bring passenger services back to Edinburgh’s South Suburban railway have taken a step forward, with Transport Scotland and Network Rail now conducting a feasibility study into the use of tram-trains on the route.

The study will look at whether tram-trains could operate on the existing railway across south Edinburgh, potentially connecting areas such as Gorgie, Morningside, Cameron Toll, Fort Kinnaird, and Portobello with the city’s tram network.

It’s an early technical study rather than approval for a new tram line. Transport Scotland expects the report to be completed within the current financial year, meaning by the end of March 2027.

What Is Being Studied?

Transport Scotland is working with Network Rail on a feasibility study examining the practical and technical issues involved in running tram-trains on the South Suburban line.

The work will look at the infrastructure needed, engineering constraints, and how tram-trains could work alongside the existing railway. It will also feed into wider work on future public transport across Edinburgh and South East Scotland.

A full business case isn’t part of this stage. That would come later if the technical study finds that the idea is workable.

That distinction matters. No new stations, route connections, costs, or construction timetable have been approved.

Where Could the Edinburgh Tram-Train Run?

The campaign proposal behind the latest push would use the South Suburban railway between the west and east of Edinburgh.

An indicative route promoted by Tram Trains for Edinburgh has suggested stops at Gorgie, Craiglockhart, Morningside, Blackford Hill, Newington, Cameron Toll, Craigmillar, Bingham/Niddrie, Fort Kinnaird, Brunstane, and Portobello.

Those stops should not yet be treated as a confirmed Transport Scotland station plan. They are part of the proposal now being investigated.

The wider idea is to connect the South Suburban railway with the existing Edinburgh Trams network. One concept would create a western connection around Murrayfield, while a connection towards Leith Walk and Newhaven has also been proposed.

That could allow tram-trains to travel beyond the South Sub itself rather than simply running back and forth across the south of the city.

What Is a Tram-Train?

A tram-train is built to operate on both conventional railway infrastructure and urban tram tracks.

That gives it one obvious advantage for Edinburgh: services could potentially use the existing South Suburban railway and then continue onto parts of the tram network instead of terminating at a railway station.

The idea received fresh attention after a team of Heriot-Watt University civil engineering students developed a South Suburban tram-train proposal. Their work suggested using battery-electric tram-trains, although the new study hasn’t committed to that particular technology.

Edinburgh’s South Suburban Railway

The South Suburban railway isn’t an abandoned line.

It opened in 1884 and stopped carrying timetabled local passenger services in 1962, but Network Rail still maintains the route, and it continues to be used for freight.

The line runs for around 12.3km, linking the Murrayfield side of the city with Portobello and passing close to several large residential and commercial areas across south Edinburgh.

Previous attempts to restore passenger trains have run into problems, particularly around capacity at Edinburgh’s main railway stations. A 2022 transport review didn’t recommend bringing conventional heavy rail passenger services back to the line, in part because of pressure around Waverley and Haymarket.

Using tram-trains could provide a different answer because services wouldn’t necessarily need to run through Waverley.

What Happens Next?

The full feasibility report should provide a much clearer picture of whether the idea can actually work.

Network Rail says the study will examine the practical considerations and infrastructure required to introduce tram-trains. If the findings are positive, further appraisal and a business case would still be needed before anything could be built.

So Edinburgh isn’t getting a South Suburban tram-train just yet.

But after decades of discussion about returning passenger services to the line, commissioning a joint Transport Scotland and Network Rail study is a concrete step beyond another campaign proposal.

Our Take

The appeal is fairly obvious. A large stretch of railway already crosses areas of Edinburgh that don’t have direct rail or tram services, while the existing tram network sits within reach at either end.

The harder questions are engineering, cost, and exactly how the South Sub would connect with the current tram line. That’s what the next few months should start to answer.

For now, March 2027 is the date to watch.