Interesting reporting from Douglas Fraser on the costs of Edinburghs Tram project. Whichever way you look at it, the council doesn't have encough cash to pay for the tram - legal issues, delays and the recession mean that the current funding on the table looks short. However, being a tram supporter, I can't help but feel disappointed in the SNP continued sniping at the tram project.

The question is who should carry the extra costs? The SNP won't - they'd rather waste cash on a new Forth Road Bridge, that we might not even need. A bridge that could easily have been funded by tolls, except oops, the SNP axed the tolls, in a populist bid to woo the single occupant car driving commuters of Fife.

The SNP seem to enjoy using the 'who'll pay for the essential new bridge?' cry as a stick to beat all other transport policy questions down with. They get to blame Labour in Westminster for not letting them borrow more cash, either from London, or elsewhere.

They also like to pretend that the Tram is Labours follly - despite the fact that the whole Scottish parliament backed the project in the face of more SNP opportunitst opposition. Despite the fact that the tram, even before it is finished is helping to support investment in the city. There's currently at least 4 major hotel developments planned along the Leith section of the tram route. Would that investment be coming without the tram? I doubt it. Would investors be so keen to rebuild the hated St James centre at the east end of Princes Street without it? I doubt it.

Nevertheless, it seems inevitable that the Edinburgh Council will be left to cover the rising cost of the project. Either that,  or Lothian Buses will be saddled with the extra debt when the firm is merged with the TIE. Whatever happens, it looks as though it will be Edinburgh residents who suffer with poorer services.

Can that be avoided? Yes, if the SNP are prepared to work constructively. Some predict as a worse case scenario that the Tram project could cost upwards of £700million. Thats a big increase on the £545million that the proposed project was planned to cost. But that cost increase is nothing compared to the £455million pound cost increase that has beset the M74 motorway extension. Despite the fact that those 5 miles of road are now costing the tax payer £80K a metre, the SNP keeps paying up. Despite the fact that we could raise the cash to pay for a new Forth bridge with tolls.

So, the message from the SNP is massive cost overruns on road building projects = fine (in fact we'd like to waste more cash on them). Cost overruns on public transport projects = disaster (and we're going to scrap them first). 

Presumably the SNP daren't whisper a peep about the M74, now that they've pulled the glasgow airport rail link - lest they give more ammunition to Labours 'Anti-Glasgow SNP' rhetoric. Even though the M74 project was instigated, like the tram, by Labour. Even though the M74 project has been described as the worst planning decision ever made by the devolved administration in Scotland.

Meanwhile the Edinburgh SNP establishment seems to get more anti-Edinburgh by the day - I suppose this recent post from Calum Cashley is supposed to be funny? As a one off, maybe it is. But the corrosive talking down of Edinburgh from the SNP is depressing. They're supposed to be in government, in holyrood and further up the Royal Mile. I wish they'd act like it.