Tram projects and programs
The State Government is introducing a number of initiatives to improve and expand the operation of Melbourne's historic tram network.
Information on this page
Latest news
Current initiatives
View
The Victorian Transport Plan for the latest information on planned tram projects.
- The Government will allocate as further $50 million to extend the Think Tram program until 2010-11. This will also include buses in the traffic priority measures that improve travel times, reliability and safety along the busiest parts of Melbourne's tram and road network. The 2008-09 State Budget included a further $37.8 million allocation for targeted tram and bus priority programs.
- About 350 new platform stops will be constructed across Melbourne as part of a $250 million program for improving public transport accessibility. See Tram accessibility.
Other projects include:
- St Kilda Road Tram Strategy - work has been completed on the first stage of the strategy involving the construction of a new platform tram stop and a section of third track that allows trams to change direction without disrupting other services. Visit the Yarra Trams website for more details.
Completed initiatives
Additional tram services
Tram services between West Coburg and Domain Interchange and between St Kilda and West Preston were boosted from July 2008, with additional weekly trams running along Routes 55 and 112.
Docklands Tram extended into Waterfront City
Tram access into the busy Docklands precinct was extended in July 2008 with Route 86 extended from Harbour Esplanade into Docklands Drive and Waterfront City.
Tram Lanes Highlighted
Tram priority was improved in Brunswick and Fitzroy in July 2008 with flashing tram lanes during peak times to allow quicker tram journey times.
City Circle Tram hours extended
The operational hours for the City Circle tram were extended in April 2008 to continue to operate from 10am to 9pm every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Five new trams for the Metropolitan Tram System
In February 2008, the Victorian Government announced five new trams would be leased from France to run along Melbourne's busiest tram route 96.
tramTRACKER
Yarra Trams introduced
tramTRACKER in October 2006 to enable passengers to call or SMS into a remote tram tracking system to find out when the next three trams will arrive in real time.
Late night services
Operating hours of trams on Friday and Saturday nights were extended from September 2006. $29.3 million was provided to deliver two extra services to all city services and the Chapel Street service. The new running times see the last trams leaving the city between 1 am and 1.25 am.
Tram 109
The
Tram 109 project has been delivered in stages on route 109 in Melbourne to improve the accessibility, reliability and effectiveness of tram travel. It included extending the route from Mont Albert to Box Hill which was officially opened in May 2003
Knox Transit Link
The Knox Transit Link, incorporating the Vermont South Tram Extension, officially started on Sunday 24 July 2005. The project provided an integrated tram and bus service to enable residents in Melbourne's eastern suburbs to travel from Knox City to Melbourne City.
Docklands Drive tram extension
The tram extension into Melbourne’s Docklands precinct was launched on 4 January 2005. The $7.5 million project extended tram route 30 (La Trobe Street-St Vincent’s Plaza) and route 48 (North Balwyn to Docklands via Flinders Street) by almost one kilometre from La Trobe Street along Harbour Esplanade and down Docklands Drive. The project was jointly developed by the Victorian Government and Yarra Trams.
Tram route 86 extension
Tram Route 86 (Bundoora RMIT- Docklands) was extended into Docklands Drive and Waterfront City in July 2008 to create a direct link between Southern Cross Station into the heart of Docklands. The frequency of tram services was also increased with trams running every four minutes in peak periods and every six minutes during off-peak times and during the day on weekends. Tram Route 30 (La Trobe Street shuttle from St Vincent's Plaza) now terminates at Docklands in Harbour Esplanade (Central Pier). The tram service changes have been introduced ahead of the opening of the Southern Star Observation Wheel in October 2008.
W-Class trams
Melbourne's historic W-class trams remain an important part of its tram fleet. A total of 53 W-class trams are in the operational fleet and Yarra Trams, as part of its partnership agreement is required to ensure that the much-loved trams remain in use.
W-class trams operate on:
- the City Circle tram service in the Melbourne CBD
- the extended Route 30 (City to Docklands via Latrobe Street) and
- Routes 78 and 79 which operate along Church and Chapel Streets.
All trams in the W-class fleet have been fitted with modern braking systems to significantly improve their safety. The new brakes are manufactured in Germany specifically for the W-class trams to a local design. The trams have also been fitted with pantographs and speedometers and operate subject to certain restrictions to ensure they remain a safe and reliable part of Melbourne's transport network.
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