History of Edinburgh the meantime the Old Town continued to decay into an increasingly dilapidated, overcrowded slum with high mortality rates, and was practically segregated socially from the rest of the city. This was especially true where the sub-division of tenements offered the cheapest lodgings in narrow alleyways that formed the backdrop to the infamous 'West Port Murders' of Burke and Hare. In 1865 Alexander Smith wrote of one of the poorest districts, The Cowgate is the Irish portion of the city. Edinburgh leaps over it with bridges: the inhabitants are morally and geographically the lower orders. They keep to their own quarters,
Transport in Edinburgh and busy at peak periods. The complete re-development of Haymarket is currently underway, partly in response to the needs of the station to improve access for disabled passengers. A new concourse and access bridge is being constructed to the west of the existing bridge, which will feature better facilities and step-free access to all platforms Edinburgh Gateway, serves as an interchange with Edinburgh Trams in Gogar to provide a link to Edinburgh Airport. The Edinburgh Trams is a new tram line which opened on 31 May 2014, connecting the airport on the western edge of the city, with Haymarket, Princes