Melbourne tram route 75

Route 75
Etihad Stadium (Docklands) – Vermont South
Overview
System	Melbourne tramway network
Operator	Yarra Trams
Depot	Camberwell
Vehicle	B2 class, A class
Route
Locale	Melbourne, Australia
Start	Etihad Stadium (Docklands)
Via	Flinders Street Richmond Hawthorn Camberwell Burwood
End	Vermont South
Length	22.8 km (14.2 mi)
Zone(s)	Zone 1 Spencer St (La Trobe St) – Riversdale Rd (Burke Rd) Zones 1 & 2 Riversdale Rd (Burke Rd) – Burwood Hwy (Vermont South Terminus)
Annual patronage	9.3 million
Timetable	Route 75 timetable
Map	Route 75 map
Route map 200px ← Route 72 Route 78 →

Tram route 75 is a public transport service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs from the terminus at Etihad Stadium (Docklands) to Vermont South in the eastern suburbs.

Unlike most tram routes in Melbourne, it falls within myki ticketing Zone 1 and Zone 1/2.

During the 1999 election campaign the Australian Labor Party committed to extend route 75 to Knox City Shopping Centre, this was later changed to the current arrangement, with it terminating at Vermont South, and connecting bus, operated by Ventura Bus Lines – the Knox Transit Link (run as part of Route 732) – running to Westfield Knox, the bus meets every tram and runs only within Zone 2. The Public Transport Users Association is campaigning for the line to be extended to its originally proposed terminus of Westfield Knox.

From Warrigal Road to the terminus in Vermont South, the trams have their own dedicated tracks, reducing interference by vehicular traffic. Despite this, motorists are still required to turn across the tracks to enter businesses or do U-turns, leading to several incidents and accidents.

History

The origins of route 75 lie in separate tram lines, Australia's first cable tram from Bourke Street to Hawthorn Bridge and a horse tram from Hawthorn Bridge to Auburn Road, which was converted to an electric line and extended over many years to its current terminus at Vermont South.

The first cable tram line opened by the Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company was from Bourke Street to Hawthorn Bridge along Spencer Street, Flinders Street, Wellington Parade and Bridge Road opened on 11 November 1885. On 27 January 1889 a horse tram from Hawthorn Bridge to Auburn Road, travelling Burwood Road, Power Street and Riversdale Road was opened.

The Hawthorn Tramways Trust closed the horse tramway for conversion to electric traction on 31 January 1916, with the electric line opening in two stages; Power Street to Auburn Road along Riversdale Road opening on 7 May 1916, and from Hawthorn Bridge to Riversdale Road along Burwood Road and Power Street on 21 June 1916. The Riversdale Road line was extended by the Hawthorn Tramways Trust to Bowen Street, Camberwell along Riversdale Road and Camberwell Road, passing through Camberwell Junction, opening on 31 May 1916, it was extended again to Boundary Road (now Warrigal Road) along Camberwell Road and Norwood Road (now Toorak Road) on 10 June 1916.

The Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board converted the Bourke Street to Hawthorn Bridge cable line to electric traction in three stages, closing the line on 29 June 1927. Reopening with electric trams running from Lonsdale Street – a short electric extension to the previous cable terminus of Bourke Street – to Swanston Street on 14 July 1927, from Swanston Street to Simpson Street on 17 September 1927, and Simpson Street to Hawthorn Bridge on 4 December 1927.

The lines City terminus was extended slightly north to its current terminus at La Trobe Street, when the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board opened the La Trobe Street line on 15 January 1951.

On 19 July 1978, the route was extended from Warrigal Road to Middleborough Road, Burwood East, Victoria, on 8 July 1993 to Blackburn Road, and on 25 July 2005 to its current terminus at Vermont South Shopping Centre, Vermont South.

On 26 January 2014, the tram was permanently changed to serve the Docklands precinct, terminating at Etihad Stadium (Docklands) and no longer serving Spencer St.

Route

Description

B2 tram on route 75 at Vermont South Terminus.

Route 75 runs from La Trobe Street in the CBD, it heads south on Spencer Street, it turns east at Flinders Street and continues past Flinders Street railway station, St Paul's Cathedral, and Federation Square, entering East Melbourne east along Wellington Parade and into Richmond continuing east on Bridge Road.

At Hawthorn Bridge it crosses the Yarra River into Hawthorn and continues east on Burwood Road, it briefly travels south on Power Street before turning east into Riversdale Road, traversing Hawthorn and Hawthorn East. At Camberwell Junction it crosses Burke Road and travels south east along Camberwell, Camberwell.

It enters Toorak Road and heads east, at Warrigal Road Toorak Road becomes Burwood Highway, Burwood, it continues east, past Deakin University and through Burwood East, to its terminus in Vermont South at Vermont South Shopping Centre, where a connecting bus, the Knox Transit Link (run as part of Route 732) can be caught to Knox City Shopping Centre.

Schematic map

Route 75
Central Pier Routes 30, 70, 86, City Circle Stop D2 Ethiad Stadium Southern Cross Station Stop D3 Docklands Park Routes 11, 48 Stop D4 Spencer Street Routes 12, 70, 96, 109 1 King Street 2 Market Street Route 55 3 Elizabeth Street Flinders Street Station Routes 19, 57, 59 4 Swanston Street Flinders Street Station Routes 1, 3/3a, 5, 6, 8, 16, 64, 67, 72 5 Exhibition Street Route 70 7 Spring Street Routes City Circle, 48 8 Clarendon Street Jolimont Station 11 Punt Road 14 Richmond Church Street Routes 78 18 Hawthorn Hawthorn Bridge Route 48 23 Hawthorn Station Hawthorn Station 11 Glenferrie Road Route 16 32 Camberwell Junction Routes 70, 72 40 Toorak Road 51 Burwood Warrigal Road 58 Deakin University 63 Middleborough Road 66 Blackburn Road 70 Springvale Road 73 Vermont South 75
Not all stops are shown, refer to timetable for full list of stops. denotes free travel zone

Operation

Route 75 is run from Camberwell depot and is predominantly run with B2 class trams, although A class trams are occasionally used. During The Australian Open All services are run with A class trams

Controversy over accessibility

A new accessible stop at Stanley Road

During the extension of the route from Burwood to Vermont South, all new stops were constructed as wheelchair accessible, low-floor platforms, with many other stops along the route converted to accessible platforms.

There has been controversy in the local newspaper, as even though the platforms are wheelchair accessible, the route is operated with high floor trams with steps. The upgrade has been criticised as a waste of money, because wheelchair-bound passengers and other mobility-impaired passengers are still limited from accessing trams on the route.

The government and local members of parliament are being pressured by the local newspaper and disabled tram users to use low floor trams on the route.

See also

• Transport in Australia

External links

• Public Transport Victoria
• Yarra Trams
• Official network maps
• Route 75 timetable
• Route 75 map
• Knox Transit Link timetable