Fire on Princes Street disrupts Edinburgh festival trade
A fire on Princes Street in Edinburgh caused tram and road closures, leading to a 35% drop in trade for festival businesses.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A fire on Princes Street in Edinburgh has caused major disruption to the city's tram network and road traffic, leading to a significant drop in trade for businesses during the busy festival period. The blaze, which broke out on 9 July, gutted a B-listed 19th century building in the heart of the capital, forcing the partial closure of one of Scotland's most famous roads.
Trams have been unable to pass the unstable building, meaning half of the city's tram network is not operational at a time when the Edinburgh Festival brings in half a million extra visitors. Businesses that rely on the footfall from tram passengers have reported a 35% drop in expected trade. One trader said: "No trams going past here at the minute. No ding. It's like every seven minutes, the tram would arrive and obviously a lot of potential customers coming past. So we're seeing like a 35% drop in what we would have expected here."
Edinburgh Council has said it could be three weeks before trams currently terminating in the city's West End can resume their route to Leith. Calls to transport tram carriages by road were deemed impractical. The council has welcomed a meeting with the Scottish government to discuss support for the city. In a statement, it said: "We are doing everything within our power to make sure Princes Street can reopen as soon as possible but this can only be when it's safe to do so. In the meantime, we are focused on minimising disruption across the network."
The disruption has also affected taxi drivers and visitors, who face longer journeys and higher fares due to diversions. Streets that are usually closed for festival shows have been kept open for diverted traffic, adding to the chaos. Venue operators have had to work quickly to relocate shows, with one organiser saying: "We've had to go very fast to make it all happen. There will be some financial impact but we won't know that until the end of the festival really."
The fire is the latest in a series of challenges for the Edinburgh Festival, following the Ben Strike two years ago and ongoing concerns about accommodation costs. For now, the focus is on how long it will take to get the city's transport network back to normal.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 |
|---|---|
| A fire on 9 July gutted a B-listed 19th century building on Princes Street. | |
| Businesses experienced a 35% drop in expected trade due to tram and road closures. | |
| Edinburgh Council stated it could be three weeks before trams resume running to Leith. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This channel focused on the human impact of the disruption, particularly on small businesses and taxi drivers, using emotional language and direct quotes from affected traders. It also provided historical context by referencing previous festival disruptions like the Ben Strike. The tone was sympathetic and concerned about the economic consequences.
- “No trams going past here at the minute. No ding. It's like every seven minutes, the tram would arrive and obviously a lot of potential customers coming past. So we're seeing like a 35% drop in what we would have expected here.”
- “Ever since the fire on the 9th of July, which gutted a B-listed 19th century building in the heart of the capital, one of the most famous roads in Scotland has been partly shut.”
- “Edinburgh Council has said it could be three weeks before trams currently terminating in the city's West End can be on the move again to Leith.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.