TRAM-TRAINS would run from the main Edinburgh to Fife railway line to the city's airport under plans being championed by transport chiefs.
A spur from the busy commuter line would allow the hybrid vehicles to go to Edinburgh Airport before connecting with the tram line 1A, currently under construction.
Tram firm TIE is keen for the tram-trains, which are already commonplace in German
y and the Netherlands, to start running on other rail routes around the Capital, including the South Sub and planned Borders line.
The move is designed at trying to build a wider tram network as well as relieving congestion at the city's two main railway stations, Waverley and Haymarket.
Council officials are already conducting a study into running the hybrid trams from Newcraighall to Haymarket, where they would transfer to the tram line out to Edinburgh Park.
A TIE-backed £650 million scheme to build a rail link to Edinburgh Airport was abandoned by the Scottish Government last year in favour of a simpler solution involving a railway station to be built in the Gogar area.
Transport Scotland today said it had no current plans to introduce tram-trains on the railway lines around the Capital, but added it would consider the proposal if they could be proven to be viable.
Willie Gallagher, executive chairman of TIE, said the link to the airport was worth exploring.
He said: "It is an exciting development but one which has been proven to work in Europe.
"What something like this would do, and particularly if you take in other potential connections like the Waverley line or another spur to Dalkeith, is that it would take you away from directing everything to the main train stations.
"The rising price of fuel means more and more people will be looking to public transport alternatives, and a mix of trams and tram-trains opens the possibility of a much wider transport network.
"These are the sorts of conversations we need to start having now if we are to get these things up and running over the next decade."
A recent report by consultants Halcrow concluded that an electric/diesel-powered tram-train service from the east to the west of the Capital would attract up to 1.5 million passengers a year, but require an annual £4.2m public subsidy.
Tram-trains are to be trialled in the UK for the first time in 2010. They will replace standard trains on the Penistone Line between Huddersfield, Barnsley and Sheffield for a two-year trial.
The tram-trains can carry more passengers than conventional trains but there have been some safety concerns about them sharing the same tracks.
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: "We haven't received proposals regarding use of tram-trains on the rail network.
"However, we will always consider anything that meets the aspirations of Scottish ministers for the rail network, namely cutting journey times between our major towns and cities, increasing capacity and making public transport the most attractive travel option for as many passengers as possible."
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