Ten questions thrown up by tram fiasco

1 Who’s to blame? Councillors, officials, council quangos, opposition parties at Holyrood and Transport Scotland have all been in the firing line.

2 What lay behind the breakdown in relationship with contractor Bilfinger Berger? Crucial to the problems has been the months of feuding between the two. “Mediation” talks at a luxury hotel were held in an effort to resolve the impasse.

3 Why didn’t the Scottish Government’s Transport Scotland agency play a more active role? Public spending watchdog Audit Scotland has urged government intervention to prevent the project losing more money and running even later.

4 Should traders in Leith be compensated for the loss of business caused by the works? Many small firms have described it as a “slap in the face” that the route won’t even go this far after the disruption they faced.

5 Why was the scheme pushed through against the wishes of the Scottish Government? The minority SNP administration wanted to stop the scheme in 2007, but it was outvoted by the combined opposition.

6 What provision was in place to deal with any cost overrun? The government had warned its contribution would be strictly capped at £500 million and cost overruns in major infrastructure projects are nothing new.

7 Should further expansion of the trams network be allowed? Long-term ambitions to extend to St Andrew Square, or Newhaven, now seem highly risky.

8 What lay behind the erratic cost estimates? Apart the construction cost blunders, estimates for cancellation have ranged from £650-750m.

9 Does Edinburgh really need trams? Residents have praised the service provided by Lothian Buses.

10 Should councils even have responsibility for decisions on these issues? Many feel the fiasco has shown councils are out their depth in dealing with major projects of this kind.