The Edinburgh Tram Inquiry's final report could be delayed until September at the earliest.
The controversial Inquiry was ordered in 2014 by former First Minister Alex Salmond to find out why the public transport route connecting Edinburgh Airport to the city centre was delayed and over budget.
The team in charge of the probe say they "hope" it will be ready before autumn, even though the findings have been with the publishers since April, reports the Record.
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Last week it was reported how chair of the Inquiry Lord Hardie, had received over £1million to do so, but a spokesperson for the Inquiry denied holidays were having an impact on the final report after being asked of Hardie was going on a summer break.
Meanwhile Labour MSP Alex Rowley described the probe as 'farcical' following years of delays and a "spiralling bill." He has demanded answers as to when the long-awaited report will be published.
Rowley added: "This inquiry is our chance to determine what went so badly wrong with the original tram contract, and it is vital that it delivers the answers we need without any more time-wasting."
The Inquiry was set up to delve deeper into why the project was £400million over budget and five years late, but the focus has now shifted to the cost of the Inquiry itself.
A source told the Record it was likely to be another two months at least before it was released. The insider said: "It should not be taking this long."
An Inquiry spokesperson refused to answer a direct question on whether Lord Hardie, a judge who has been paid over £1m for his role as chair, was going on holiday in the summer.
He said: "Lord Hardie's final report remains with the publishers.
"Preparing a document of its size for publication is a complex and lengthy process. It is hoped it will be ready before the Autumn.
"Holidays are having no impact on timelines."
Construction of the initial phase of the trams project was marred by disputes between the council, an arms-length firm and contractors.
Tory MSP Miles Briggs said: "Kicking this report even further down the line only goes to add to the concerns that we are seeing yet more attempts to cover-up what went so wrong with the management of the Edinburgh trams project.
"The tram project has been a total fiasco and the public cannot be kept in the dark for a moment longer.
"It has been with the printers for over two months already, so it begs the question why it has not been published yet, especially as both Parliament and Edinburgh City Council will be in summer recess from next week.
"This whole saga looks set to be yet another example of transparency completely going out the window on the SNP's watch."
