Trams in Melbourne

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The city of Melbourne, the second-largest city in Australia, is home to the third largest tram network in the world, consisting of 245 kilometres of track, 500 trams[1], and 1813 tram stops [2]. Operated by the private company Yarra Trams since privatisation in 1999, Melbourne's trams contribute greatly to the city's distinctive character and are held in great affection by the people of Melbourne.

Melbourne is the only city in Australia where motor vehicles are required to perform a hook turn, a manoeuvre designed to give trams priority.

See also List of Melbourne tram routes.

Contents

[edit] History

Cable tram dummy and trailer on the St Kilda Line in Melbourne in 1905.
Cable tram dummy and trailer on the St Kilda Line in Melbourne in 1905.

In 1885 the Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company began operating Melbourne's first cable tram line. The first service ran from Spencer St/Flinders St, to Hawthorn Bridge. Soon a Melbourne cable tramway system was running from the city to nearby suburbs, but as the city grew the technical limits of the cable tram system became apparent, and electric trams were developed for lines to more distant suburbs. The last cable trams were replaced by electric trams in 1940. The first electric trams began running in 1906, after an earlier experiment had failed. It was operated by the North Melbourne Electric Tramway and Lighting Company, which operated a line from the city to Essendon. The Victorian Railways also operated an early electric tram from St Kilda to Brighton.

In 1920 the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB) took over operation of the whole tramways system from the private companies and suburban municipalities which had been operating the various lines since the 1880s. The MMTB inherited a system with many different types of trams, and solved this problem by introducing the famous W-class tram, which ran for 70 years and a few can still be seen on Melbourne's tram lines.

In the "golden era" of the 1920s and 1930s, loadings were heavy, a tram conductor earned more than a schoolteacher or a policeman, and the rolling stock was well maintained. The MMTB generated further patronage by establishing the enormous Wattle Park and the Vimy House private hospital for tramways staff.

A C class tram
A C class tram

After World War II other Australian cities began to replace their trams with buses, and by the 1970s Melbourne was the only Australian city with a major tram network (there is one tramline in Adelaide, running down to Glenelg, and there are also tourist tramlines in Bendigo and several other cities around Australia). Melbourne resisted the trend, partly because Melbourne's wide streets and geometric street pattern makes trams more practicable than in many other cities, partly because of resistance from the unions, and partly because the Chairman of the MMTB, Sir Robert Risson, successfully argued that the cost of ripping up the concrete-embedded tram tracks would be prohibitive. Also, the infrastructure and vehicles were relatively new, having only replaced Cable Tram equipment in the 1920s-1940s. This destroyed the argument used by many other cities, which was that renewal of the tram system would cost more than replacing it with buses.

By the mid 1970s, as other cities became increasingly choked in traffic and air pollution, Melbourne was convinced that its decision to retain its trams was the correct one, even though patronage had been declining since the 1940s in the face of increasing use of cars and the shift to the outer suburbs beyond the tram network's limits. A very slow increase in patronage, beginning in the late 1990s, is solely due to the revival of the inner urban population. The W-class trams were gradually replaced by the new Z-class, and later by the A-class and the larger, articulated B-class trams.

By the 1990s the tramways network was making huge losses and costing the Victorian state government many millions of dollars. In 1990 the Labor government of Premier John Cain tried to introduce economies in the running of the system, which provoked a long and crippling strike by the powerful tramways union in January 1990. In 1992 the Liberals came to power under Premier Jeff Kennett and pledged to corporatise Melbourne's public transport network, however policy shifted to supporting the privatisation of the tram system in the wake of a series of public transport strikes.

The government abolished tram conductors and replaced them with ticketing machines, shortly before the system was privatised. This move was highly unpopular with the travelling public and led to the loss of millions of dollars in revenue through fare evasion. After several years of failing to make a profit, M-Tram (which was owned by the National Express Group), who operated one half of the network, handed back their franchise to the government in late 2003. On April 18, 2004, Yarra Trams successfully tendered for the former M-tram routes giving them control over the entire network.

A plan to cut the number of Collins Street tram stops and merge them into new 'super stops' under the banner of the program "Think Tram", brought about much anger from the public. A funeral, coordinated by the Public Transport Users Association, was held for the tram stops being closed featuring a procession with coffin from the former tram stops to the Minister for Transport's office. [3] Despite these protests, the program to eliminate tram stops and replace them with super stops continues, with plans to also introduce them to St Kilda Road and Fitzroy Street in St Kilda.

[edit] The W-class trams

A heritage W6 class tram on Victoria Parade
A heritage W6 class tram on Victoria Parade

W class trams were introduced to Melbourne in 1923 as a new standard design. They had a dual bogie layout and were characterised by a substantially timber frame, a simple rugged design, and fine craftsmanship (particularly the older models). The W Class was the mainstay of Melbourne's tramways system for 60 years. A total of 748 trams of all variants were built.

The tram model is an icon to the city and recognised by the National Trust of Australia.

The original and most numerous W2 variant was supplemented in the late 1930s by 120 W5 (or "Clyde") class trams with wider cabins, and more powerful motors - which were notorious for being difficult to drive smoothly. The W6 followed on: it was to become the most popular W class tram with crews and passengers alike: fast, smooth and comfortable—at least by W Class standards! Construction came to a halt for some years and the final 40 W Class trams did not emerge from the Preston Workshops until 1956, when the need to provide something more capable of dealing with Olympic Games crowds than Bourke Street's buses prompted the last expansion of the network. The W7 Class with its pneumatic sliding doors (later retrofitted to most W5 and W6 trams too) and softer suspension was popular with passengers but feared by crews, as the braking system - not a strong point in any W Class variant - was never really adequate.

The development of new rolling stock to replace the W Class finally began in 1975 with a complex and expensive Swedish design that was ill-suited to Melbourne's hot summers and heavy loadings. Although the Z Class was improved over time with the revised Z2 and Z3 variants, it was not a success, and it was not until the 1990s that the W Class was finally retired from regular commuter duty.

After restoration of faulty brakes on many of the trams, it has since been revived on some lines due to its iconic popularity. They run regularly on the short and slow North Richmond to St Kilda Beach route but are unsuitable for longer routes due to speed limitations imposed as a result of poor braking, despite recent modifications.

The free City Circle route also operates using them to the delight of many tourists and a few have been converted into upmarket mobile restaurants which cruise the suburbs in the evening.

Approximately 200 later model W class trams remain stored at various locations around Melbourne as part of a heritage fleet. The future use of these trams is unknown. A number of W-class trams have been sent overseas, including five that went to Seattle between 1978 and 1993, where they operated as Seattle's own heritage streetcar line, George Benson Waterfront Streetcar Line, between 1982 and 2005.

[edit] The Z-class trams

A Z3-class tram turning from Lygon Street into Elgin Street
A Z3-class tram turning from Lygon Street into Elgin Street

The Z-class trams, built by Comeng, were introduced from the mid-late 1970s, starting with the Z1 class, built from 1975 to 1979. 100 trams were built, most of which are now being withdrawn.

In 1978 and 1979, fifteen Z2 class trams—having little difference from the Z1 classes—were built. As with the Z1 class, Z2 class trams are now being withdrawn from service.

From 1979 to 1984, Z3 class trams were introduced, being a significant improvement on the Z1 and Z2 class trams. 115 were built, 114 of which are in service (Z3.149 was destroyed in a fire). All are reliveried in either Yarra Trams or all-over advertising livery.


An A1 class tram
An A1 class tram

[edit] The A class trams

These trams, again built by Comeng, were introduced between 1984 and 1987. This model did away with the concept of a seated conductor, which was characteristic of the Z class trams. 70 were built and are still in service today.

[edit] The B1/B2-class trams/light rail vehicles

A B2 class tram, going along Collins St
A B2 class tram, going along Collins St

The B-class trams (also known as light rail vehicles) were first introduced to Melbourne in 1984 with the prototype B1 class trams, which were a significant improvement over the Z1-classes. Only 2 were built and they remain in service today.

B2 class trams were built from 1988-1994, by Comeng, and later ABB Transportation. They were an improvement over the B1-classes. 130 were built, all of which remain in service today. B2-classes are often spotted in all-over advertising livery. The B2 class was notable for the long overdue introduction of air-conditioning.

All of the B2-classes, and B1.2002 have been repainted in Yarra Trams livery (B2.2001 is in all-over advertising livery, but was also in Yarra Trams livery).

[edit] The Citadis and the Combino

A D class tram
A D class tram

The Citadis and Combino trams were introduced following privatisation of Melbourne's tram system. The private operators were obliged under their franchises to replace older Z class trams, although this has not fully taken place. Yarra Trams introduced the Citadis or C class, manufactured in France by Alstom. It is a three section articulated vehicle. Thirty-six are in service. The now defunct M-Tram purchased the German made Siemens Combino. The Combino is a three (D1 class) or five (D2 class) section articulated vehicle. Ownership of the D class trams has now passed to Yarra Trams. Currently 38 D1 and 21 D2 section vehicles are in service.

[edit] Future

The Public Transport Users Association continues to lobby for extensions [4] (most of which are in line with the Melbourne 2030 planning policy of providing links between different modes of transport) including:

The possibility of a new high-tech line, involving wire-free operation, has also been considered for the St Kilda / Port Melbourne area running along Beaconsfield Parade, servicing primarily tourists but also regular commuters. [5]

[edit] Map

[edit] Melbourne Public Transport Forums

[edit] References

  1. ^ Yarra Trams Facts & Figures
  2. ^ TramTracker News Release
  3. ^ Public Transport Users Association (2005-05-19). City Mourns Tram Stop, Demands a Resurrection. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-03-05.
  4. ^ Public Transport Users Association (2006-10-31). PTUA calls on politicians not to duck public transport issues. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-03-05.
  5. ^ Moynihan, Stephen. "Beach tram to sting tourists $6 a ride", The Age, 2006-12-13. Retrieved on 2007-03-05.

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

Tram Route Navigation
Melbourne's tram routes
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 City Circle
Entire network
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