Bus driver hurt in tram smash
● Four taken to hospital after tram derails in collision with bus
A bus driver has been seriously injured after colliding with a tram near Edinburgh Airport. The tram was leaving for the city centre when it derailed
A bus driver has been seriously injured after hitting a tram near Edinburgh Airport.
The tram was leaving the airport for the city centre when it derailed in a collision with a single decker airport car park bus at about 5:30pm.
The Scottish Ambulance Service said four people were taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary including the bus driver, who sustained serious injuries. The full extent of his injuries is not known.
The tram driver and conductor were treated at the scene by paramedics, but it is believed they escaped without major injuries.
Six passengers on board the tram were unhurt and there were no passengers on board the bus.
Police Scotland last night said: “The male driver has been taken to hospital after the single-decker bus he was driving was in collision with a tram at Edinburgh Airport shortly before 5:30pm.
“The tram has been derailed from the tracks.
“The bus driver has been taken by ambulance to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment. The extent of his injuries is not known at this time.
“A Police Scotland investigation is under way and anyone who was in the area at the time and witnessed the incident is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101.”
The tram was seen jackknifed at the scene and the line was blocked close to the airport’s rental car return area.
One eyewitness to the crash, which occurred at Eastfield Avenue between the airport and Ingliston, said: “There was a big impact causing the bus to flip over and the tram to completely derail.”
Another witness said: “The tram was bent like a boomerang.”
Motorists reported traffic problems on roads in and around the airport after the incident.
A spokesperson for Edinburgh Trams last night said services were only able to operate between York Place and Gyle Centre following the incident.
“Early investigations would suggest a bus struck the side of a tram causing it to derail,” a spokesman said. “We continue to work closely with Police Scotland on their investigation and have offered our full co-operation.”
Edinburgh Trams said work would continue overnight to recover the tram “as quickly and as safely as possible”.
A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said: “We can confirm an airport bus was involved in a collision with a tram.
“Emergency services are dealing with the incident and we will assist them throughout.”
Edinburgh Trams was due to issue an update about today’s services this morning.