Melbourne tram route 48

Route 48
Balwyn North – Victoria Harbour Docklands
C class tram at Balwyn North terminus
Overview
System	Melbourne tramway network
Operator	Yarra Trams
Depot	Kew
Vehicle	A class C class
Began service	11 December 1938
Route
Length	13.5 km (8.4 mi)
Timetable	Route 48 timetable
Map	Route 48 map
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Melbourne tram route 48 is operated by Yarra Trams on the Melbourne tram network. It operates from Balwyn North to Victoria Harbour Docklands. The 13.5 kilometre route is operated by A and C class trams from Kew depot.^[1][2]

History[]

Route 48 was first allocated to the line between North Balwyn and the City on 11 December 1938 with the opening of the North Balwyn extension. Prior to that point, services on the East Kew line were largely provided by route 40, which ran from East Kew (Bulleen Road) to the City.^[3] Trams traditionally would usually terminate in the Lonsdale Street terminus on Spencer Street, but peak hour congestion at the terminus often meant that trams would often run through to La Trobe Street, or would truncate at the corner of Flinders and Spencer Streets.^[3] After the construction of a siding north of La Trobe Street, route 48 trams were extended to terminate there. However, it proved to be difficult for the siding to handle peak hour congestion along with route 75, so route 48 was amended to terminate at Flinders Street West from 17 February 2002.^[4] The line was extended to Harbour Esplanade Docklands on 4 April 2003. On 4 January 2005, route 48 was extended to Waterfront City along Harbour Esplanade and Docklands Drive, with the opening of the Docklands Drive tram extension.^[5] On 20 September 2009, route 48 was altered to run via Collins Street in lieu of Flinders Street, terminating at Victoria Harbour Docklands.^[4][6][7][8]

The origins of route 48 lie in separate lines. The section between Flinders Street (near Stop 9) and Hawthorn Bridge (Stop 23) dates back to Melbourne's first cable tram line to Richmond, which opened on 11 November 1885. It was electrified in stages, finally commencing electric operations on 4 December 1927. The section between Southern Cross Station (Stop 1) and Spring Street (Stop 8) opened on 2 October 1886 as the North Fitzroy line. It was electrified on 21 November 1929. These two lines are connected by a line that was built along Spring Street on 10 November 1993 as part of the City Circle tram line works. The section between Barkers Road (Stop 29) and Cotham Road (Stop 33) was built by the Prahran & Malvern Tramway Trust on 24 February 1915. The track between Cotham Road and Kew Cemetery (Stop 37) opened later that year on 8 May, and then extended to Harp Road (Stop 39) on 26 November. The MMTB opened Church Street line between Barkers Road and Hawthorn Bridge on 7 July 1923. An extension from Harp Road to Burke Road (Stop 45) opened on 11 January 1925. The line between Burke Road and Bulleen Road (Stop 47) opened on 13 June 1937, and the rest of the line to North Balwyn opened on 11 December 1938.

On 18 November 2002, a tram line was constructed to Collins Street West along the Collins Street extension. However, from 28 June 2004 until 21 November 2005, the line was truncated back to Spencer Street while Southern Cross railway station was redeveloped. It was extended further along the Collins Street extension to Victoria Harbour Docklands on 21 September 2009. It was extended a further 450 metres west to the corner of Collins and Bourke Streets from 26 January 2014, which is today's Victoria Harbour terminus.

Proposed extension[]

The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) and Cities of Boroondara and Manningham have been lobbying for an extension of route 48 to Westfield Doncaster.^[9][10][11] It would require approximately 4.5 km of extra track, serving Greythorn Village and the Doncaster Park and Ride facility before terminating near Westfield Doncaster. The PTUA has also pointed out the future potential for the line to be extended further along Doncaster Road to Doncaster East and Donvale.

Proponents have argued that it could serve as a cheaper, quicker and more efficient alternative to the long-proposed Doncaster railway line. However, supporters of the railway state that the tram already takes 50 minutes from one terminus to the other in the off-peak, and that the tram would take well over an hour to reach the city from Doncaster. It is therefore considered as a separate project to the heavy railway, that would serve a local access purpose.

In the lead up to the 2006 state election, the Ted Baillieu opposition promised the extension by July 2010, pricing it at $35 million.^[12][13] It was stated that there would have been about 2 accessible stops every kilometre, similar to the recent Box Hill tram extension. However the government was returned and the Baileu government did not commit to it in the 2010 election.

The City of Manningham commissioned a $60,000 study in 2007^[14] to investigate the potential for the new line, arguing it was a needed alternative to overcrowded buses.

Map[]

hide v t Route 48
Balwyn North - Victoria Harbour via Kew, Richmond & City Free tram zone covers stops D18 to 8, fare zone 1 applies from stop 9 to 51
Legend
Suburb Street Stop No. Balwyn North Connections Balwyn North Doncaster Road 51 Balwyn Road 50 Hill Road 49 Cityview Road 48 Sunburst Avenue 47 North Balwyn Shopping Centre 46 Wattle Avenue 45 Burke Road   High Street 44 Kilby Road Kew East High Street 43 Kew High School 42 Irymple Avenue 41 Clyde Street 40 Harp Village 39 Harp Road 302, 304, 624 38 Victoria Park Kew High Street 37 Kew Cemetery 36 Parkhill Road 35 Cobden Street 34 Pakington Street 609 Cotham Road Tram 109 Box Hill   33 Cotham Road 109 32 Kew Junction 200, 207 31 Stevenson Street Kew tram depot Hawthorn High Street 29 Barkers Road 109 Barkers Road Tram 109     Port Melbourne   Church Street 26 Barkers Road 109 25 Brook Street 24 Grattan Street Burwood Road Tram 75 Vermont South     Bridge Road 23 Hawthorn Bridge 75 Richmond Bridge Road 22 Yarra Boulevard 21 Burnley Street 20 Coppin Street 19 Richmond Town Hall 18 Church Street 78 Church Street Tram 78 Balaclava   North Richmond 17 Bosisto Street 15 Epworth Hospital   Wellington Parade 14 Punt Road 246 Wellington Parade Siding East Melbourne Wellington Parade 13 Simpson Street 11 Jolimont station Jolimont station ●● 10 Jolimont Road 9 Lansdowne Street 75 Flinders Street Tram 75, City Circle Waterfront City   Macarthur Street Tram 11, 12, 109     St Vincent's Plaza Spring Street City Circle tram     La Trobe Street Parliament station ●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Melbourne CBD Collins Street 8 Spring Street 11, 12, 109, City Circle 7 101 Collins Street 605 Swanston Street Tram 1, 3, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67, 72 St Kilda Road   Melbourne University 6 Town Hall 1, 3, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67, 72 Elizabeth Street Tram 19, 57, 59 Flinders Street station   North Melbourne 5 Elizabeth Street 19, 57, 59 3 William Street 58; Queen Street buses Williams Street Tram 58 Toorak   West Coburg 1 Southern Cross station 12, 96, 109 Spencer Street Tram 12, 96, 109 Clarendon Street Junction   Bourke Street Southern Cross station ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Docklands Collins Street D14 Southern Cross station 232, 235, 237 D15 Batman's Hill D16 Harbour Esplanade 70, 75, City Circle Harbour Esplanade Tram 70, 75, City Circle Russell Street   Docklands D17 Collins Landing D18 Victoria Harbour 11 Suburb Street Stop No. Victoria Harbour Connections
Note: Green denotes free tram zone

References[]

External links[]

• Media related to Melbourne tram route 48 at Wikimedia Commons
• Route 48 timetable and map