The delayed and over-budget Edinburgh tram project had a “litany of avoidable failures”, the chairman of an inquiry has said as its long-awaited report into the transport system was released.
The inquiry was set up in 2014 to examine why the scheme went significantly over-budget as well as dropping one of the two initial planned lines and being delivered years later than first planned.
The cost of the reduced line from Edinburgh Airport to York Place was thought to be £776 million – more than double the initial sum earmarked at the outset by the Scottish Parliament’s then Labour-led administration – but the report found the best estimate is now £835.7 million after borrowing costs, compensation, outstanding claims and other items were fully factored in.
Retired judge Lord Hardie, who chaired the inquiry, said: “The inquiry process has been thorough and robust, but also complex, with literally millions of documents that had to be carefully reviewed and detailed contractual issues to investigate.
Poor management and abdication of responsibility on a large scale have had a significant and lasting impact on the lives and livelihoods of Edinburgh residents, and the reputation of the city
“This work has been time-consuming but necessary to produce a report which not only provides answers to what went wrong with the Edinburgh Trams project, but also clear recommendations for future transport projects.
“What is clear from the inquiry’s work is that there was a litany of avoidable failures on the parts of several parties whose role it was to ensure that public funding was spent effectively and to the benefit of Scotland’s taxpayers, and that the Edinburgh Trams project was delivered efficiently.
“Poor management and abdication of responsibility on a large scale have had a significant and lasting impact on the lives and livelihoods of Edinburgh residents, and the reputation of the city.”
In a video statement on the report, he holds Edinburgh City Council’s arm’s-length tram company TIE, the council and Scottish ministers “principally responsible for the failure to deliver the project on time, within budget and to the extent projected”.
He makes 24 recommendations for Scottish ministers, including considering whether there is a requirement for new legislation to allow for civil and criminal sanctions against relevant individuals or companies who knowingly submit reports that include false statements to councillors.
The cost of and time taken by the inquiry itself has become a focus for criticism.
When he set it up almost a decade ago, days after the trams started finally started running three years later than planned, then first minister Alex Salmond told MSPs he expected it to be “swift and thorough”.
Public hearings began in 2017 and concluded the following year, with the report published on Tuesday sent to the printers in April.