Quintessentially Melbourne Trams

Did you know Melbourne is the world’s largest operational tram network with 250km of double track?

The most predominant city in the whole of Australia, is home for many things. Out of which, the trams here take a significant impact which is operating 24x7.

The first electric tram in Melbourne was put into operation between Box Hill and Doncaster on 14 October 1889.

Let’s have a look and how the tram system in Melbourne have evolved over the years.

How it all began

American transport entrepreneur and Melbourne businessman, Francis Boardman Clapp closely monitored the progress of the system invented by the English-born Andrew Hallidie, who made the world’s first cable tram system which commenced its operation in San Francisco in 1873.

Clapp started up the Melbourne Omnibus Company with William McCulloch and Henry Hoyt, bringing organized street public transport to Melbourne. The first route was from the two city railway stations via Bourke Street to Birmingham Hotel on the corner of Smith and Johnson streets in Fitzroy. This consisted of 11 horse-drawn buses, which costed three pennies, cheaper than a cab ride. Services were then expanded to Carlton, Richmond and North Melbourne. 

Cable trams

The first cable tramway was opened on 11 November 1885, the Spencer Street- Richmond ran from the corner of Bourke and Spencer Streets to Flinders Street, Wellington Parade and Bridge Road to the Hawthorn Bridge. The road was excavated to nearly four feet and tunnels constructed to run cables in both directions.

This time, Services were frequent, coming as often as every two minutes on the busiest lines at the busiest times.

By 1891 Melbourne had 71km of double track cable tramway, with 11 engine horses. 

The first electric trams

First electric tramway opened to public in 1889 with a 3.6km line from Box Hill to Doncaster but, it operated only until 1896.

It took a major turn in 1906, when its opened the tramway from St Kilda Station to Brighton, and the line from Flemington Bridge to Essendon and Maribyrnong.

Over the next decade the tramway system grew to almost 100 trams and 56.3lm which is extended to St Kilda, Caulfield, Glenhuntly, Hawthorn, Kew, Camberwell and Mont Albert.

Then From MMTB to tramway pioneer in 1941, where at that time the tramways only employed women due to labour shortage during the war. Joyce Barry joined the M&MTB to collect the ticket butts and compare them with takings.

In 1956 it was agreed to train women as drivers, yet the Tramway union did not train them and the matter was unsolved until 1969 when once again the female drivers wanted to obtain the right to drive, which was only resolved in 1975. Joyce was the first female to be trained as a tramway driver in the history. she retired in 1982 with a service of 40 years. Her bold stance encouraged M&MTB to provide an equal opportunity policy in the industry.

In 1983 the new “A” class tram was introduced supplementing the Z class trams, where 70 A class vehicles were built between 1984 and 1988.

However, the technology was booming, in 1984 Melbournes longest trams were  actioned with around 132 air conditioned light rail vehicles. Which were to operate on high capacity routes. These were manufactured between 1984 and 1988. 

The Met

Automatic vehicle monitoring was introduced in 1985, this was installed to bus fleets first, and was extended to trams with improved communication with drivers. Which also let to monitor vehicle locations between the designated points of each route, enabling for improved tram scheduling.

 Yarra Trams

In 1997, the government decided to privatize the public transport corporation, the Met was split to 4 business units 2 for trams and 2 for trains.

On 29th August 1999 these units - Swanston Trams, Yarra Trams, Bayside Trains and Hillside Trains - commenced operations under separate identities and private ownership. As Bayside Trains, Swanston Trams and the regional rail company V/Line were operated by the same organisation, National Express Group (Australia), the two metropolitan companies were co-branded as M>Tram and M>Train on 1st October 2001.  Later, Hillside Trains became Connex.

But in December 2002, National Express announced that they will terminate operations from all 3 businesses.  Then the State Government of Victoria decided to create one tram company and one train company for metro Melbourne. That’s when Yarra trams took over on 1^st April 2004.

And today, the tram journey is one of the basic requirements for all Victorians with,

• 475+ trams are in operation providing services 24/7,
• 2,200+ employees and 1,200 drivers.
• over 200 million trips are completed annually,
• Approximately 1,700 tram stops, including 420+ that are accessible.
• 9 depots across Melbourne.

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