It arrived 50 years after the city’s earlier tram network was ripped up.

Edinburgh council leader Jenny Dawe is expected to receive the keys to the first tram on behalf of the city in a ceremony with representatives from Edinburgh Trams and the vehicle manufacturers.

She said: “The arrival of the vehicle will give a fantastic opportunity for the public to view the quality of the finished tram vehicle, as well as see for themselves the sheer number of people each tram will be able to carry. This will stand as a real and tangible milestone for both the project and citizens of Edinburgh.”

Fresh from successful track testing in Germany, the £2 million 140 ft vehicle is the first of the 27-strong fleet. It made its way across Europe from Germany via Amsterdam before arriving at the Princes Street tram stop.

A year ago, a tram mock-up attracted 140,000 visitors.

Staff from the Edinburgh Trams operations team will be on hand to answer questions.

Each tram can carry 250 people with 78 Seats, two wheelchair spaces, 170 standing and ample luggage space.

The trams will run at 30 mph on-street and up to 45 mph on off-street sections

Regenerative braking allows energy to be recovered and channelled back into the power lines

The tram fleet will travel 3,400 miles per day and carry an estimated 40,000 passenger per day.

This is the kind of operation which should have been provided at Cambridge-St Ives and Luton-Dunstable, rather than backward-looking busways.

Information from Martin Thorne