Festival-goers hoping to pop down to Leith during the Fringe will not have the option of hopping on a tram.
Edinburgh Trams have now confirmed that following the devastating Princes Street fire trams will end their journeys at the West End for the duration of the festival.
Assembly Festival has also had to relocate venues from George Street to St Andrews Square because of the continued disruption to bus routes in the city.
Trams Chief Operating Officer Willie Hamilton said: “In early July, a fire in a building on Princes Street led to a partial road closure that continues to affect public transport across Edinburgh. Since then, Edinburgh Trams has been operating a service between the Airport and West End, while Lothian Buses services have been diverted via George Street and Queen Street.
“Every available option has been explored to restore tram services to the northern section of the route. Unfortunately, transporting trams by alternative means is not currently a practical solution. Trams also require regular cleaning, routine maintenance and secure overnight storage and we do not currently have suitable long-term facilities at Newhaven to support these essential operational requirements.
“I recognise how frustrating this disruption has been and the impact it has had on our customers, colleagues, city centre businesses and everyone who relies on public transport each day. Like many organisations across the city, we have been significantly affected by this disruption and are keen to see services return to normal as soon as possible, particularly as Edinburgh enters its busiest period of the year.”
Assembly Theatre confirmed it would be moving its open-air venues from George Street to St Andrews Square for the duration of the Fringe.
While shows inside the Assembly Rooms will go ahead, those which are normally in temporary venues outside the building will be moved. Two external venues, Bijou and Front Room, which house 17 shows will be moved to St Andrew Square.
William Burdett Coutts, Director of Assembly Theatre said: “The fire on Princes Street has had, and will continue to have, a significant effect on city centre businesses and residents. Following the subsequent investigations, it became clear that the usual Festival road closures Assembly Festival operates on George Street wouldn’t be possible for this year’s Fringe season. This means we are unable to operate two of our external, outdoor venues – Bijou and Front Room – on George Street.
“We are grateful to the City of Edinburgh Council and other city and Festival partners for working closely with us to move the two affected venue operations to St Andrew Square, allowing us to deliver our planned programme in full.
“This has had a significant impact on our artists with only a week to go until their shows kick off, and we are working to support and minimise disruption for them, but it is extremely positive news that all 17 of these shows will still be able to go ahead.”
Since the trams to Leith stopped running some restaurants and businesses down by the Shore have reported a sharp drop in customers. Chef of the Year Dean Mitchell said bookings at his Dulce restaurant had dropped sixty per cent in the week following the cancellation of the trams.
