Melbourne tram route 78

Melbourne tram route 78 is operated by Yarra Trams on the Melbourne tram network from North Richmond to Balaclava. The 6.5 kilometre route is operated out of Kew depot with A class trams.

Route 78
W-class tram on Church Street, Richmond,
October 2012
Overview
SystemMelbourne
OperatorYarra Trams
DepotKew
VehicleA class
Route
StartNorth Richmond
ViaRichmond
South Yarra
Prahran
Windsor
EndBalaclava
Length6.5 kilometres
TimetableRoute 78 timetable
MapRoute 78 map
← Route 75  {{{system_nav}}}  Route 82 →

History

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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.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3]

On 14 February 1965 operation of route 78 was transferred from Hawthorn depot to Kew depot. From 30 April 1972 it was jointly operated by Glenhuntly and Kew depots.[4] From 2 April 1995, it was solely operated by Glenhuntly.[5][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 July 2004, after they received brake upgrades.[7] 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 In 2014 the Ws were withdrawn and replaced by Z and A class trams.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 discontinued.[8][9]

The route was transferred back to Kew Depot on 30 April 2017. This was so there was more room for the larger B-class trams that were to be transferred to Glenhuntly.[4]

Melbourne tram route 78 evolution
Dates Route Notes
9 December 1934 - present North Richmond to Prahran Prahran later renamed Balaclava terminus;
Until 2009, only ran on Mon-Fri until 18:00 & 13:00 on Saturdays. Between 2009-2014, services ran until 18:00 7 days a week

Route

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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.

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
 
 
 
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
 
 
 
High Street
Tram 6
44
 
Duke Street
43
 
Windsor station
 
 
 
 
  Windsor
42
 
Dandenong Road
 
 
 
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

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  1. ^ The Melbourne Tramways:A Pictorial History (map), Stephen Watson, 1993
  2. ^ The Melbourne Tramways:A Pictorial History (map), Stephen Watson, 1993
  3. ^ Last Route 77 Tour Trolley Wire issue 229 May 1987 page 41
  4. ^ a b More on 30 April changes Transit Australia July 2017 page 217
  5. ^ Melbourne Trams Trolley Wire issue 261 May 1995 page 17
  6. ^ Swanston Street Tram Review Trolley Wire June 1995 page 141
  7. ^ Services Transit Australia September 2004 page 279
  8. ^ Capacity boost for tram passengers Yarra Trams 9 July 2014
  9. ^ Capacity boost for Melbourne's tram system Trolley Wire issue 338 August 2014 page 21
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  Media related to Melbourne tram route 78 at Wikimedia Commons