Crash shuts down light rail line to Scotland's busiest airport

Light Rail service to Scotland’s busiest airport has been shut down for more than 24 hours after a collision between a light rail train and a bus, causing the train to derail. An incident like this would absolutely cripple transit commutes if it occurs along one of the proposed Surrey LRT lines.

This incident on the Edinburgh Trams light rail system occurred at 5:20PM local time yesterday (June 13), according to numerous sources including the BBC, the Scottish Daily Record, The Sun, and the Edinburgh Reporter. No passengers were hurt, but the driver of the bus has been hospitalized for serious injuries.

Light rail service to Edinburgh Airport and several other stations has been completely shut down. As of 8:30PM local time today, light rail service to the airport has not yet been restored. Service remains disrupted due to removal of the derailed train and the need to check for track damage. The operator, Edinburgh Trams, does not expect to be able to restore service until tomorrow morning.

Airport commuters have been forced to rely on alternate bus service.

However, those not taking transit into the airport will be stuck in traffic. As the incident has blocked a major roadway into the airport, it has also snarled traffic for airport commuters. Edinburgh Evening News described the chaos as a “horrendous traffic jam” that is “crippling Edinburgh Airport”.

One passenger reported that they had missed their flight to Madrid as a result of the incident.

Frustrated passengers have flooded social media with comments expressing their outrage at the shutdown, with some commenting that they have raised concerns about the potential of collisions at grade-level crossings:

Surrey’s LRT lines could be crippled by accidents

The proposed Surrey Light Rail Transit system will run at street level on segments of 104th Avenue, King George Boulevard and Fraser Highway. Incidents like this where LRT trains are involved in collisions with vehicles, cyclists or pedestrians can necessitate complete shut downs of that segment of the LRT system lasting several hours.

Once again, this incident highlights a major, fundamental flaw of the proposed street-running light rail system endorsed by TransLink, the Regional Mayors’ Council, and the City of Surrey. The proposed LRT lines run in the medians of major arterial roads, and would cross through several busy intersections at street level. Any one of these busy intersections could be blocked and shut down if there is an accident.

Edinburgh’s tram system has been criticized frequently for its high cost and lack of benefits to transit commuters. An inquiry into the tram project, engaged by the Scottish government, recently concluded that it was a ‘poor deal for council’, citing that the tram project was “delivered years late, hundreds of millions of pounds over budget on a shortened route.”

SkyTrain for Surrey has called for the cancellation of the Surrey-Newton-Guildford LRT project, the conversion of the Surrey-Langley LRT into a SkyTrain extension of the Expo Line, and the construction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on King George Boulevard and 104th Avenue (instead of an LRT).

With BRT’s ability to detour around accident areas, and SkyTrain’s ability to simply pass overhead, a rapid transit system built on SkyTrain and BRT would not be subject to total disruptions.

Surrey residents expect their future rapid transit system to be a trustworthy and reliable service. A street-running LRT system will not deliver one.