The first section of Edinburgh’s new tram route between the Gogar depot and the international airport has been handed over to the city council.
The 2.8 km stretch has now completed a commissioning process which began in November 2012.
Handing over the segment keeps the project in line with its summer 2014 completion date and revised budget of £776 million.
Transport Minister Keith Brown said: “This is further evidence that the project is now making good progress in terms of the revised timetable.
“The people of Edinburgh and local business community should now be able to plan ahead with confidence and look forward to seeing further evidence of the project coming to fruition over the coming months.
“Once the construction works are complete the emphasis will quickly move to ensuring that the appropriate tests and checks are run as quickly and effectively as possible so that businesses, residents and visitors can really start to benefit.
“The trams can deliver not just for the city but also for the rest of Scotland’s transport network.”
Once on-street works and overhead cabling work has been completed by the end of the year, a programme of rigorous testing and commissioning will take place in early 2014 to prepare the system and the service for operation.
The tram project team will report to Council in September 2013 with an update to project timescales.
