Melbourne tram route 78

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 A-class trams from Kew depot.[1][2]

Route 78
North RichmondBalaclava
W-class tram on Church Street, Richmond
in 2012
Overview
SystemMelbourne
OperatorYarra Trams
DepotKew
VehicleA class
Route
LocaleMelbourne, Australia
StartNorth Richmond
ViaRichmond
South Yarra
Prahran
Windsor
EndBalaclava
Length6.5 km (4.0 mi)
Service
Journey time20-40 minutes
OperatesDaily
Zone(s)Myki Zone 1
TimetableRoute 78 timetable
MapRoute 78 map
 Route 75  {{{system_nav}}}  Route 82 

History

A section of Chapel Street was first served 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 the cable tram line was converted to electric traction by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board, and was extended along Church Street, forming the route as it operates today.[4] It ran with two variations: route 79, turning from Chapel Street along Carlisle Street to St Kilda Beach, and route 77, which turned from the southern part of the route at Swan Street and continued into the city. The latter route 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 tram 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 had received brake upgrades. It was 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 In 2014 the Ws were withdrawn and replaced by Z- and A-class trams.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 variation 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 was more room for the larger B-class trams that were to be transferred to Glenhuntly.

Melbourne tram route 78 evolution
Dates Route Notes
9 December 1934 - onwards North Richmond to Prahran Prahran later renamed Balaclava terminus;
Until 2009, only ran on Mon-Fri until 6pm & 1pm on Saturdays. Between 2009-2014, services ran until 6pm 7 days a week

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
North Richmond - Balaclava
via South Yarra, Prahran & Windsor
Fare zone 1 applies throughout
Suburb
Street
Stop
No.
North Richmond
Connections
Victoria Street
Tram 12, 109
Richmond
Church Street
65
Victoria Street
64
Baker Street
63
Kent Street
62
Highett Street
61
Bridge Road
48, 75
Bridge Road
Tram 48, 75
60
Abinger Street
59
St Ignatius Church
58
Gipps Street
57
Swan Street
Swan Street
Tram 70
56
East Richmond station
East Richmond
55
Gibbons Street
54
Cotter Street
53
Howard Street
51
Malcolm Street
South Yarra
50
Toorak Road
Toorak Road
Tram 58
49
Palermo Street
48
Wilson Street
47
Commercial Road
72; 216, 219, 220
Commercial Road - Malvern Road
Tram 72
46
Chatham Street
Prahran
45
High Street
6
High Street
Tram 6
44
Duke Street
43
Windsor station
Windsor
42
Dandenong Road
5, 64
Dandenong Road
Tram 5, 64
St Kilda East
St Kilda East
41
St Michael's Grammar School
40
Alma Road
39
Argyle Street
38
Inkerman Street
37
Carlisle Street
Carlisle Street
Tram 3/3a, 16
Balaclava
36
Brighton Road
67; 623
Brighton Road
Tram 67
Suburb
Street
Stop
No.
Balaclava
Connections

References

  1. Facts & figures Archived 29 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine Yarra Trams
  2. Route 78 Yarra Trams
  3. The Melbourne Tramways:A Pictorial History (map), Stephen Watson, 1993
  4. The Melbourne Tramways:A Pictorial History (map), Stephen Watson, 1993
  5. "Last Route 77 Tour" Trolley Wire issue 229 May 1987 page 41
  6. "Melbourne Trams" Trolley Wire issue 261 May 1995 page 17
  7. Capacity boost for tram passengers Archived 2014-07-26 at the Wayback Machine Yarra Trams 9 July 2014
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.