The controversial tram system planned for Scotland�s capital city is officially back on track, it was announced yesterday.

The controversial tram system planned for Scotland's capital city is officially back on track, it was announced yesterday.

Sections of track have arrived in Edinburgh's Princes Street where they will be laid later this month after the project faltered earlier this year.

The £512m trams project was under question in February after a row over funding. The dispute was resolved four weeks later and work then began to prepare the ground for the track-laying. Steven Bell, director of the tram project, said: "This is what people have been waiting for and will give reassurance, not just to those in the city centre but across Edinburgh.

"This section of the work is also the first opportunity for residents and visitors to Edinburgh to see what the final infrastructure will look like on this innovative and ambitious project."

The 18 million steel track sections were transported from the storage area in Leith to the Princes Street site where preparations are under way for them to be laid later this month.

Gordon MacKenzie, transport convener of City of Edinburgh Council, said: "This is an extremely significant milestone for the Edinburgh Tram Project. Retailers, businesses and visitors to Princes Street can now see physical evidence that we have taken another major step towards the delivery of a fast and efficient integrated transportation system."