Melbourne tram route 55

Proposals for a tram or railway route to West Coburg date to the late 19th century. Construction of the tramway began in 1923, initially only to Brunswick West, then extended to Bell Street in 1927. The tramway was extended south to St Kilda Road during World War II to alleviate congestion during the war.[4] Proposed extensions north of Bell Street have not been constructed.

Until 30 April 1995, route 55 operated from West Coburg to St Kilda Beach via William Street.[5][6] Route 56 offered a truncated service that ran from West Coburg to Domain Road. Following the construction of a terminating platform at Domain Road on 14 November 1986, through-routing to St. Kilda Beach was discontinued and all services terminated at Domain Road. A strange phenomenon occurred in which services heading towards West Coburg showed route 55, and services heading towards Domain Road showed route 56. On 30 April 1995, Route 55 was finally amended to terminate at Domain Interchange when shared route operations between depots ended.[7][8]

Between 1971 and July 2005 route 55 and 56 (before 1995) only operated on Mondays to Saturdays. On Sundays, the section from West Coburg to the city was covered by route 68.[6][9][10]

During the 2006 Commonwealth Games the route was merged with route 5 to Malvern to alleviate congestion along St Kilda Road.[11]

In October 2016, it was announced that as part of works associated with the construction of Domain railway station, route 55 would be extended from Domain Interchange to Toorak to partly replace route 8 and be renumbered route 58.[12][13]

The route ran along Melville Road from the Bell Street intersection, then Dawson Street, Grantham Street, through to Royal Park along a scenic track passing the Royal Park Golf Course and the Melbourne Zoo, coming out at Flemington Road where it intersected Abbotsford Street, then it travelled along Peel Street, William Street, Flinders Lane, Market Street, Queens Bridge, Queensbridge Street, Kings Way and finally Park Street before terminating at the Domain Interchange.

This tram route was notable for its windiness and the traverse through Royal Park for some distance. The route also includes passes the State Netball & Hockey Centre and the Melbourne Zoo with an occasional peek at the elephant's shed.

Route 68 was a Sunday-only version of the route 55 service from West Coburg, diverting at Haymarket roundabout to operate along Elizabeth Street to Flinders Street station, instead of along William Street from Domain Interchange. First operated on 6 July 1971, the route was withdrawn on 31 July 2005 when route 55 was altered to operate seven days a week.[9][14]

• Media related to Melbourne tram route 55 at Wikimedia Commons
• Route 55 map
• Route 55 timetable