Melbourne tram route 78

Route 78
North Richmond – Balaclava
W class tram on Church Street, Richmond in 2012
Overview
System	Melbourne
Operator	Yarra Trams
Depot	Kew
Vehicle	A class
Route
Locale	Melbourne, Australia
Start	North Richmond
Via	Richmond South Yarra Prahran Windsor
End	Balaclava
Length	6.5 km (4.0 mi)
Service
Journey time	20-40 minutes
Operates	Daily
Zone(s)	Myki Zone 1
Timetable	Route 78 timetable
Map	Route 78 map
Route map ← Route 75  {{{system_nav}}}  Route 82 →

Melbourne tram route 78 is operated by Yarra Trams on the Melbourne tram network. It operates from North Richmond to Balaclava. The 6.5 kilometre route is operated by Z and A class trams from Kew depot.^[1][2]

History

Chapel Street was first served by trams in part by a cable tram line opened in 1888, which ran from Brighton Road to Toorak Road, then turned towards St Kilda Road and into the CBD.^[3] Between 1924 and 1926 an electric tram line was built by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board, replacing the cable tram, and extending along Church Street, forming the route as it operates today.^[4] It ran with two variations, one the route 79, turning from Chapel Street along Carlisle Street to St Kilda Beach, and another, route 77, which turned from the southern part of the route at Swan Street and continued into the city that was discontinued in November 1986.^[5]

On 2 April 1995, operation of route 78 was transferred from Kew depot to Glenhuntly depot.^[6] In the late 20th century, the line ran predominantly as route 79. Like nearly all trams lines in Melbourne, it was served by W class trams. In the 1990s with the gradual withdrawal of the W class, the route was operated by Z and A class trams. W class trams were re-introduced in 2004 after they received brake upgrades, as one of only three routes running the old trams, the others being route 30 and the City Circle Tram. In 2014 the Ws were withdrawn and replaced by Z and A class trams. On 27 July 2014 the route 79 option was also discontinued.^[7]

The route was operated by Glenhuntly Depot until April 30, 2017 when operation of the route was transferred back to Kew Depot. This was so there is more room for the larger B class trams that will be transferred to Glenhuntly.

Route

The route starts at the Victoria Street terminus then runs along Church Street, Richmond, crossing Bridge Road and Swan Street. It continues over the Yarra River into the suburb of South Yarra along Chapel Street, crossing Toorak Road. Continuing down Chapel Street, it terminates at Brighton Road, Balaclava. It is one of only two tram routes which does not travel through the Melbourne CBD, the other being route 82.

Map

Route 78
Stop North Richmond Connections 65 Victoria Street 12, 109 64 Baker St 63 Kent St 62 Highett St 61 Bridge St 48, 75 59 St Ignatius Church 58 Gipps St 57 Swan St East Richmond; 70 56 East Richmond (to Balaclava only) East Richmond 55 Gibbons St 54 Cotter St 53 Howard St 51 Malcolm St 50 Toorak Road South Yarra 8 49 Palermo St 48 Wilson St 47 Commercial Rd 72; 216, 219, 220 46 Chatham St Prahran 45 High St 6 44 Duke St 43 Windsor Station Windsor 42 Dandenong Rd 5, 64 41 St Michael's Grammar School 40 Alma Rd 39 Argyle St 38 Inkerman St 37 Carlisle St/Chapel St Balaclava 3/3a, 16 36 Brighton Road 67; 623 Balaclava
Not all stops are shown, refer to timetable for full list of stops

References

External links

• Media related to Melbourne tram route 78 at Wikimedia Commons
• Route 78 map
• Route 78 timetable