Melbourne tram route 48

Route 48
North Balwyn - Victoria Harbour Docklands
C 3012 at North Balwyn terminus
Overview
System	Melbourne tramway network
Operator	Yarra Trams
Depot	Kew[1]
Vehicle	A class, C class
Route
Locale	Melbourne, Australia
Start	North Balwyn
Via	Kew East Kew Hawthorn Richmond East Melbourne Melbourne CBD (Collins St)
End	Victoria Harbour Docklands
Length	13.5 km (8.4 mi)[1]
Zone(s)	Zone 1 for the entire route
Annual patronage	7.5 million[2]
Timetable	Route 48 timetable
Map	Route 48 map
Route map City Circle (35) ←   → Route 55

A2 283 in Collins Street, Docklands, on route 48

Tram route 48 is a public transport service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs from Victoria Harbour, Docklands to North Balwyn via Collins Street, Spring Street, Wellington Parade and Bridge Road. Like most tram routes in Melbourne, it falls within myki ticketing Zone 1.

It is primarily run using both A class and low-floor C class trams out of Kew tram depot.

The Public Transport Users Association^[3][4] and local councils^[5] have been lobbying for an extension of route 48 to Doncaster Shopping Centre.

Previously route 48 ran via Flinders Street, with the Collins Street route becoming effective on 20 September 2009.

Route

There are 57 stops on route 48.

Starts at Victoria Harbour Melbourne Docklands (stop D17), then runs via:

• Collins Street (stops D17-8)
  • Southern Cross Station (stop D14)
  • Spencer Street, tram routes 75, 96, 109 and 112 (stop 1)
  • King Street, Rialto Towers (stop 2)
  • William Street, tram route 55 (stop 3)
  • Elizabeth Street, tram routes 19, 57 and 59 (stop 5)
  • Swanston Street, Melbourne Town Hall, tram routes 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 16, 64, 67 and 72 (stop 6)
  • Parliament, Parliament Station (stop 8)
  • Spring Street, Treasury Gardens (stop 9)
• Wellington Parade (stop 9-14)
  • Fitzroy Gardens, MCG, Jolimont Station (stop 11)
• Bridge Road (stop 15-28)
• Church Street (stop 29)
• High Street (stop 30-40)
• Doncaster Road (stop 41-51)

Proposed extension

The Public Transport Users' Association (PTUA) and the Cities of Boroondara and Manningham have proposed for the extension of the route from the current North Balwyn terminus along Doncaster Road to a new terminus at Doncaster Hill. It would require approximately 4.5 km of extra track, serving Greythorn Village and the Doncaster Park and Ride facility before terminating near Westfield Doncaster. The PTUA has also pointed out the future potential for the line to be extended further along Doncaster Road to East Doncaster and Donvale.

Proponents have argued that it could serve as a cheaper, quicker and more efficient alternative to the long-proposed Doncaster railway line. However, supporters of the railway state that the tram already takes 50 minutes from one terminus to the other in the off-peak, and that the tram would take well over an hour to reach the city from Doncaster. It is therefore considered as a separate project to the heavy railway, that would serve a local access purpose.

In 2006, the Liberal opposition under Ted Baillieu promised the extension by 1 July 2010 if he was to win office in the next election, pricing it at $35 million.^[6][7] It was stated that there would have been about 2 accessible stops every kilometre, similar to the recent Box Hill tram extension. The Labor Government held onto power, and the extension was not built, even when the Liberals later won office in 2010.

The City of Manningham commissioned a $60 000 study in 2007^[8] to investigate the potential for the new line, arguing it was a needed alternative to overcrowded buses.

See also

• Transport in Australia

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Melbourne tram route 48.

• Public Transport Victoria
• Yarra Trams
• Official network maps
• Route 48 timetable
• Route 48 map