Melbourne tram route 6

Melbourne tram route 6 is operated by Yarra Trams on the Melbourne tram network. It operates from Moreland to Glen Iris. The route is operated by Z, B and D class trams from Brunswick and Malvern depots.[1][2]

Route 6
Moreland - Glen Iris
D1 class tram outside Melbourne Town Hall in December 2009
Overview
System	Melbourne
Operator	Yarra Trams
Depot	Malvern, Brunswick
Vehicle	Z3 class B2 class D1 class D2 class
Route
Length	19.2 km
Timetable	Route 6 timetable
Map	Route 6 map
Route map ← Route 5  {{{system_nav}}}  Route 11 →

History

Route 6 was allocated to the line between Glen Iris and City (Swanston Street) on 21 November 1929, the same day that numbers were allocated to the rest of the Swanston St trams. Trams traditionally terminated at the Victoria St terminus, but following an accident in 1991, trams instead terminated at the Queensberry St crossover. Due to congestion during peak hours at the crossover, some trams continued north to Melbourne University. Finally on 17 January 1996, a permanent shunt was built at Melbourne University. From then on, Route 6 trams were altered run full-time to Melbourne University. Following the creation of Route 58 in anticipation for the construction of the Melbourne Metro Rail Tunnel on 1 May 2017, Route 8 was discontinued. From then on, Route 6 was instead altered to terminate at Moreland instead of Melbourne University.

The origins of route 6 lie in separate tram lines. The section of track between Queensberry Street (Stop 4) and High Street (Stop 27) is the oldest section of this route, dating back to the Brighton Road cable tram which opened on 11 October 1888 by the Melbourne Tramway & Omnibus Company. This cable tram line was electrified in stages by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB). The section between Domain Interchange (Stop 20) and High Street was electrified on 27 December 1925. The section between Queensberry Street and City Road (near Stop 14) was electrified on the same day. The line between City Road and Domain Interchange was electrified on 24 January 1926.

The section between Charles Street (near Stop 30) and Tooranga Road (Stop 48) was one of the original lines constructed by the Prahran & Malvern Tramways Trust (PMTT), which opened on 30 May 1910. This line was extended west to Punt Road on 14 March 1911 and again, to St Kilda Road on 14 September 1912, connecting with the St Kilda Road cable tram to the city. The PMTT extended the line again on 25 March 1914, this time east, to its current terminus at Malvern Road.[3] Meanwhile, the Melbourne, Brunswick & Coburg Tramways Trust (MBCTT) constructed the section of Route 6 north of Queensberry Street towards Moreland. This section opened on 31 October 1916.

In October 2016, it was announced that as part of works associated with the Melbourne Metro Rail Project, route 6 will be extended from Melbourne University to Moreland to partly replace route 8 on 1 May 2017.[4][5]

Melbourne tram route 6 evolution

Dates	Route	Notes
During PMTT operation	Victoria Bridge to Esplanade	via Glenferrie/Balaclava Roads
21 November 1929 - 14 April 1991	City (Victoria Street) to Glen Iris
15 April 1991 - 17 January 1996	City (Queensberry/Swanston Street) to Glen Iris	Some services terminated at Melbourne University
17 January 1996 - 1 May 2017	Melbourne University to Glen Iris	via Swanston Street
1 May 2017 - onwards	Moreland to Glen Iris	via Swanston Street

Route

Description

Route 6 operates from Brunswick tram depot travelling east along Moreland Road before turning south along Holmes Street in Brunswick East. It continues south to Albion Street where it doglegs into Lygon Street, continuing south through Carlton North and Carlton, turning west into Elgin Street and south into Swanston Street at Melbourne University.

It proceeds south through the CBD, past Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne Central station, State Library of Victoria, Melbourne Town Hall, City Square, St Paul's Cathedral, Flinders Street station, Federation Square and Birrarung Marr.

Crossing the Yarra River onto the Southbank, it continues along St Kilda Road, passing The Arts Centre, National Gallery of Victoria, Victoria Barracks and the Shrine of Remembrance.

It turns east into High Street, traversing via Prahran, Windsor, Armadale and Malvern to its terminus at Malvern Road, Glen Iris.

Operation

Route 6 is operated by Z3, B2, D1 and D2 class trams from Malvern and Brunswick depots.[2] On 30 November 2002, the first D class trams entered service on the route.[6]

Route map

Route 6
Moreland - Glen Iris via Brunswick, City & Armadale Free tram zone covers stops 8 to 13, fare zone 1 applies from stop 133 to 112, 14 to 53
Suburb Street Stop No. Moreland Connections Coburg Cameron Street 133 Moreland Sydney Road Tram 19 Coburg North   Flinders Street station   Moreland Street 132 Sydney Road 131 De Carle Street 130 Barrow Street Nicholson Street Tram 1 East Coburg   Brunswick East Nicholson Street 129 Moreland Road 1; 510   Holmes Street 128 Mitchell Street 127 Albion Street 503 126 Stewart Street   Lygon Street 125 Blyth Street 508 124 Victoria Street 123 Albert Street 122 Glenlyon Road 506 121 Weston Street 120 Brunswick Road 504 Carlton North Lygon Street 119 Park Street 118 Pigdon Street 117 Richardson Street 116 Fenwick Street 115 Melbourne Cemetery 114 Princes Street 546 Carlton Lygon Street 113 Lytton Street   Elgin Street 112 Lygon Street 200, 207   Swanston Street 1 Melbourne University 1, 3/3a, 5, 16 64, 67, 72 ; 401, 402 403, 546 3 Lincoln Square 4 Queensberry Street Victoria Street No Service Melbourne CBD Swanston Street 7 RMIT University La Trobe Street Tram 30, City Circle Exhibition Street   Harbour Esplanade Melbourne Central station ●●●●●●●●●●●●●● 8 Melbourne Central station 30, City Circle 10 Bourke Street Mall 86, 96; Lonsdale Street buses Bourke Street Tram 86, 96 Melbourne Museum   Southern Cross station Collins Street Tram 11, 12, 48, 109 St Vincent's Plaza   Southern Cross station 11 Collins Street 11, 12, 48, 109 Flinders Street Tram 70, 75, City Circle Russell Street   Docklands Flinders Street station ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● 13 Flinders Street station 70, 75, City Circle Southbank St Kilda Road 14 Arts Precinct 1; 216, 219 220 Southbank Boulevard Tram 1     South Melbourne Beach 17 Grant Street - Police Memorial 19 Shrine of Remembrance Park Street Tram 58     West Coburg Melbourne St Kilda Road 20 Domain Interchange 58 Domain Road No Service (Temporary Closure) 21 Bowen Crescent 22 Toorak Road 58 Toorak Road Tram 58 Toorak   23 Arthur Street 24 Leopold Street 25 Commercial Road 72; 216, 219, 220 Commercial Road Tram 72 Camberwell   26 Moubray Street 27 High Street 3/3a, 5, 16, 64, 67 St Kilda Road Tram 3/3a, 5, 16, 64, 67    St Kilda Junction St Kilda High Street 28 Punt Road 246 29 Perth Street 30 Prahran station Prahran station ● 31 Chapel Street 78 Chapel Street Tram 78 North Richmond   Balaclava 32 Hornby Street 33 The Avenue 34 Lewisham Road 35 Williams Road 216, 219 Prahran High Street 36 Chatsworth Road 37 Airlie Avenue Armadale High Street 38 Orrong Road 220 39 Auburn Grove 40 Armadale Street Armadale station ●●● 41 Kooyong Road 605 42 Huntingtower Road 43 Mercer Road Malvern High Street 44 Glenferrie Road 16 Glenferrie Road Tram 16 Kew   Melbourne University 45 De La Salle College 46 Fraser Street 47 Dixon Street Malvern East High Street 48 Tooranga Road 624 49 Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre 50 Belmont Avenue 51 Burke Road 52 Boyanda Road 53 Malvern Road 612, 734 Glen Iris station ● Suburb Street Stop No. Glen Iris Connections

References

1. Facts & figures Archived 29 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine Yarra Trams
2. Route 6 Yarra Trams
3. "Milestones, 1911 - 1920", Yarra Trams, archived from the original on 27 September 2011, retrieved 2 October 2011
4. Metro Tunnel to Transform Melbourne's Tram Network Minister for Public Transport 25 October 2016
5. Route changes Public Transport Victoria
6. "Metros" Railway Gazette International January 2003 page 14

External links

• Media related to Melbourne tram route 6 at Wikimedia Commons
• Route 6 timetable and map