System Melbourne Depot Malvern Locale Melbourne, Australia | Operator Yarra Trams Vehicle Z3 class
D1 class Start Melbourne University | |
 | ||
Melbourne tram route 5 is operated by Yarra Trams on the Melbourne tram network. It operates from Melbourne University to Malvern. The 12.6 kilometre route is operated by Z and D1 class trams from Malvern depot.
Contents
History
The origins of route 5 lie in separate tram lines, namely an electric line from Melbourne University to Queensberry Street, a cable tram from Queensberry Street to St Kilda Junction and a number of electric lines from St Kilda Junction to Burke Road.
Cable trams first travelled from Queensberry Street, Carlton to Milton Street, Balaclava (just south of Carlisle Street), on 11 October 1888, with the line opened by the Melbourne Tramway & Omnibus Company.
The Prahran & Malvern Tramways Trust (PMTT) opened a line from Glenferrie Road, Malvern to Burke Road, Malvern East along Wattletree Road on 30 May 1910. A line was built by the PMTT, between Wattletree Road and the Sandringham railway line in Windsor along Glenferrie Road and Dandenong Road, opening on 16 December 1911. The PMTT extended the Dandenong line a short distance from the Sandringham railway line to Chapel Street on 31 March 1912.
The Melbourne, Brunswick & Coburg Tramways Trust opened its line from Park Street, Carlton North to Queensberry Street, Carlton along Lygon, Elgin and Madeline Streets (as the section of Swanston Street north of Victoria Street was originally known) on 31 October 1916.
On 27 December 1925, the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB) converted a small section of cable tram track along Wellington Street to electric traction, connecting the Dandenong Road line to St Kilda Junction. Another small section of track along Wattletree Road from Denbigh Road/Dandenong Road to Glenferrie Road was opened by the MMTB on 24 June 1928, giving a more direct route from Burke Road to St Kilda Junction.
The MMTB converted the Swanston Street/St Kilda Road cable line to electric traction between 1924 and 1926, with electric trams able to run to St Kilda Junction from 28 March 1926 and able to travel the entire length from 29 August 1926.
As part of the St Kilda Junction separation works, the Wellington Street section was abandoned for a new section of track along the newly created Queens Way on 4 November 1968. Large sections of these lines make up what is today's route 5.
During the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the route was merged with route 55 to West Coburg at Domain Interchange, to alleviate congestion along St Kilda Road.
Description
Route 5 operates from Melbourne University travelling south through the CBD on Swanston Street via Melbourne Central station and Flinders Street stations. After crossing the Yarra River it continues south along St Kilda Road to St Kilda Junction, where it descends to Queens Way, Windsor and heads east, at Chapel Street, Queens Way becomes Dandenong Road. It continues east passing through Prahran, Armadale, Malvern and Malvern East to its terminus at Burke Road.
Operation
Route 5 is operated out of Malvern depot by Z and D1 class trams. It is occasionally operated by D2 class trams. From 19:00 the service only operates between Orrong Road and Malvern, with services timetabled to connect with route 64 services.