Tram (ego) trip

Ian Swanson quotes former Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson saying that £500 million extra public money spent to get Edinburgh Trams running represents “good value for money” (your report, 21 March). Most locals would disagree.

He rightly asserts that completing the tramline through Leith and Granton would have had greater benefit. But it didn’t happen. What did was an ECC Airport ego trip that duplicates trains which take one third of the time.

For an example of real-value trams, try Manchester. Their multi-line system is eight times bigger, serving most of the city at a cost of £1.5 billion. Had Edinburgh been as astute we’d now have TWO lines, costing half of the £780m that TIE squandered. Then Mr Stevenson could have kept his £500m – and maybe his job.

DAVID S BERRY Balderstone’s Wynd North Berwick