And here’s the first look...

Here is the first picture of Edinburgh’s new trams.

You’ll also have a sneak preview of the real thing – and get a taste of the new travelling experience – when a real tram goes on show next year.

This life-sized model has been specially built for us to carry out engineering and safety checks. These are necessary before we start building the final vehicles to ensure that we have the very best trams.

The mock-up is being shipped to Edinburgh’s Leith Docks from Barcelona, where it was built. Once the various authorities and the Council have conducted tests, the tram will be on display for you to see,touch and experience.

Look out for it in spring/summer 2009.

World-leading Spanish company CAF is building Edinburgh’s 27 trams for the Council.

CAF is best known in the UK for the trains for the Heathrow Express. It has also recently supplied trams to the new network in the World Heritage city of Seville.

At over 40m long, Edinburgh’s fully accessible trams will be the biggest in the UK, carrying up to 250 passengers at a time.

They will also have a timeless and attractive appearance, complementing the heritage of the city. The mock-up has been built as part of the contract with CAF.

GOOD TO KNOW: The mock-up is 15m long and is in two sections (one 8m and one 7m). It is 2.7m wide and 3.5m tall. To compare, a double deck bus is 4.4m tall and 10 m long. The overall weight is approximately 5 tonnes.