SNP on wrong lines

AT long last, Edinburgh’s tram system, after years of controversy, delays and overspend, is up and running. That is indeed some cause for celebration.

Trams last ran through the capital’s streets in 1956. Gone are the clattering and rickety vehicles of the past, replaced by the sleek silence of the modern carriages. Yet if the reaction of the first day’s passengers is anything to go by, it is only a matter of time before these new trams win a place in the hearts of travellers.

Nonetheless, it will be a long time before the well documented problems that have bedevilled this project are forgotten.

In particular, the manner in which the budget rose and rose – to a final total of £776 million – is a cautionary example of the profligacy that seems to beset all large-scale public sector projects.

It certainly puts into perspective Alex Salmond’s claim last week that he could set up the entire administrative infrastructure of an independent Scotland for just £250 million – a fraction of the cost of laying a few miles of tram line.

Even the First Minister’s most enthusiastic supporters must be afraid his plans are in danger of going off the rails.