Edinburgh Trams are to run every five minutes during morning and evening rush hours to respond to higher demand.

The tram line is 14km long and runs from Edinburgh Airport on the western edge of the capital to the east end of the city centre and takes about 35 minutes.

From July 26 the service will run every five minutes between 7.30am to 9.30am and 4.30pm to 6.30pm instead of the current frequency of eight to 10 minutes.

The increase in frequency means there will be an extra three return journeys during both the morning and evening rush hours, providing 1,500 additional passenger spaces.

Edinburgh Trams general manager Lea Harrison said: “The trams have proved very popular since they were introduced, with passenger numbers increasing all the time.

“Although this is a modest increase in our capacity on the line it is still an important step in increasing the frequency of the service and providing more capacity during peak times so we can help even more people travel along the route.”

Transport for Edinburgh chief executive George Lowder said: “A lot of work has gone into making sure the new journeys would integrate seamlessly with other traffic and I appreciate the efforts that all the staff at Edinburgh Trams and City of Edinburgh Council have put into this.”

Councillor Lesley Hinds, chair of Transport for Edinburgh and transport convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Coming on the back of a strong passenger and financial performance, this is more welcome news for the trams.

“The increased demand and our ability to boost capacity so that even more people can travel by tram at the busiest times of the working day are both positive signs for the service.

“I know the Edinburgh Trams team will continue to look for new ways to further improve their offering and help us make public transport an even more attractive option for people living, working, visiting or spending time in the capital.”

About 5.38 million passengers used Edinburgh Trams in their second 12 months of operation, a 9.3% increase on the year following the launch of the service.