Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (Tie), the delivery company set up and wholly owned by City of Edinburgh Council, has been accused of incurring a “litany of avoidable failures”, which caused delays and increased the costs of building Edinburgh’s tram. 

The tram line runs an 8.7 mile (14km) route from Edinburgh Airport to the city centre. The line opened in 2014, five years later than planned and £400m over budget. 

The delays and cost increases of the line triggered the launch of an inquiry, which has been looking into the scheme for the past nine years.

The concluding inquiry report highlights the principal causes of the project’s failure, including a departure from the initial procurement strategy; a failure to work collaboratively with the council and other partners; delays in design production due to poor performance by contractor Parsons Brinckerhoff; and an underestimation of the costs of the project and the risks involved. 

“Poor management and...