Melbourne tram route 57

Melbourne tram route 57 is operated by Yarra Trams on the Melbourne tram network. It operates from West Maribyrnong to Flinders Street station. The 11.6 kilometre route is operated by Z3 class trams from Essendon depot.[1][2]

Route 57
West Maribyrnong - Flinders Street station
Overview
SystemMelbourne tramway network
OperatorYarra Trams
DepotEssendon
VehicleZ3 Class
Began service22 December 1940
Route
Length11.7 km
TimetableRoute 57 timetable
MapRoute 57 map
 Route 48  {{{system_nav}}}  Route 58 

History

Route 57 was first allocated to the line between West Maribyrnong and the City via North Melbourne on 22 December 1940 when the Maribyrnong line was extended from the Maribyrnong River to West Maribyrnong. Prior to that, the number was officially listed for the Ballarat Road line on the Footscray system, but was never used in practice since the single-truck trams used on that line didn't have route number boxes.[3] Before the West Maribyrnong extension, services on the Maribyrnong line were provided by Route 54, which ran from the Maribyrnong River terminus to the City via North Melbourne.[3] Trams would terminate in William Street prior to the conversion of the Elizabeth Street line in 1935. On 12 November 1961 trams on Sunday were replaced on route 57 by buses. Sunday trams were reinstated on 8 August 1993.[4]

The origins of Route 57 lie in separate lines. The section between Flinders Street (Stop 1) and Victoria Street (Stop 7) is the oldest section of track, dating back to the Brunswick cable tram line, which opened on 1 October 1887.[3] This section was converted to electric traction on 17 November 1935. The section between Flemington Bridge (near Stop 22) and Victoria Street dates back to the North Melbourne cable tram line, which opened on 3 March 1890, and was fully electrified on 24 September 1935.[3] The section between the Maribyrnong River (near Stop 41) and Flemington Bridge was constructed by the North Melbourne Electric Tramway and Lighting Company (NMETL) as part of their original electric tramway system on 11 October 1906. The section from the Maribyrnong River to West Maribyrnong was opened by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board on 22 December 1940.[3]

Proposed extensions

There have been proposals, supported by the Public Transport Users Association and local politicians, to extend route 57 north-west along Milleara Road to Avondale Heights and Keilor East.[5] Variations of this proposal including building a park and ride facility near the terminus, or establishing a high frequency bus service between the terminus and Keilor East down Milleara Road.

The State Government in 2009 also proposed the tram be extended into the new suburb planned for the former Maribyrnong Defence Site.[6] The tram would head north from its current terminus into the heart of the new suburb.

Melbourne tram route 57 evolution
Dates Route Notes
c. 1934 - 21 December 1940 Ballarat Road - Williamstown Road Never used as single-truck trams on the line had no number plates
22 December 1940 – Present West Maribyrnong to City (Elizabeth Street) via North Melbourne

Route

The route runs from the corner of Cordite and Central Park Avenues, West Maribyrnong via Moonee Ponds, Ascot Vale, Flemington, Kensington and North Melbourne before proceeding along Elizabeth Street to terminate outside Flinders Street station.

Route 57 shares track with route 82 between the intersection of Raleigh and Wests Roads, Maribyrnong and Maribyrnong and Union Roads, Ascot Vale. A loop siding exists at the south end of Union Road in Ascot Vale and is used during special events at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds and Flemington Racecourse to handle the additional trams used to move the crowds of passengers.

Map

Route 57
West Maribyrnong - Flinders Street station
via Flemington, North Melbourne & City
Free tram zone covers stops 1 to 8, fare zone 1 applies from stop 9 to 49
Suburb
Street
Stop
No.
West Maribyrnong
Connections
Maribyrnong
Cordite Avenue
49
Central Park Avenue
406, 407
 
Raleigh Road
48
Wests Road
Wests Road Light Rail
Tram 82
46
Rosamond Road
406, 407, 468
45
Randall Street
44
Barb Street
43
Van Ness Avenue
42
Clyde Street
41
Maribyrnong Park
468
40
Epsom Road
39
Bowen Street
38
Hotham Road
37
Union Road
Maribyrnong Road
Tram 82
Ascot Vale
Union Road
36
St Leonards Road
35
Bloomfield Road
472
34
Burrowes Street
33
Melbourne Showgrounds (No longer in use)
 
Epsom Road
32
Sandown Road
Flemington
Epsom Road
31
Racing Victoria
30
Flemington Racecourse
 
Racecourse Road
29
Ascot Vale Road
28
Smithfield Road
26
Newmarket station
Newmarket
25
Wellington Street
24
Victoria Street
23
Stubbs Street
Flemington Bridge station
North Melbourne
Racecourse Road
22
Boundary Road
Flemington Road
Tram 59
20
Melrose Square
Royal Park Light Rail
Tram 58
Flemington Road
Tram 58, 59
 
Abbotsford Road
19
Abbotsford Street Interchange
58, 59
18
Chapman Street
17
Molesworth Street
16
Haines Street
402
15
Arden Street
14
Queensberry Street
 
Queensberry Street
13
Curzon Street
12
North Melbourne Town Hall
11
Errol Street
10
Chetwynd Street
9
Howard Street
Peel Street
Tram 58
8
Peel Street
58; 546
Elizabeth Street
Tram 19, 59
Victoria Street
No Service
 
Elizabeth Street
7
Queen Victoria Market
19, 59; 546
La Trobe Street
Tram 30, City Circle
Melbourne Central station
5
Melbourne Central station
3
Bourke Street Mall
Bourke Street
Tram 86, 96
2
Collins Street
11, 12, 48, 109
Collins Street
Tram 11, 12, 48, 109
1
Flinders Street station
Flinders Street
Tram 70, 75, City Circle
Flinders Street station
Suburb
Street
Stop
No.
Flinders Street station
Connections
Note: Green denotes free tram zone

References

  1. Facts & figures Archived 29 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine Yarra Trams
  2. Route 57 Yarra Trams
  3. "Gunzel". www.classicaustraliantv.com. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  4. "Melbourne - Other Services" Trolley Wire issue 255 November 1993 page 11
  5. Public Transport Users Association. "Policies: Extending Melbourne's network". ptua.org.au. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  6. McMahon, Stephen (9 April 2009). "New Melbourne suburb to be built in Maribyrnong". Herald Sun. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
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