Melbourne tram route 78

Route 78
North Richmond – Balaclava
W-class tram on Church Street, Richmond in 2012
Overview
System	Melbourne
Operator	Yarra Trams
Depot	Kew
Vehicle	A class
Route
Locale	Melbourne, Australia
Start	North Richmond
Via	Richmond South Yarra Prahran Windsor
End	Balaclava
Length	6.5 km (4.0 mi)
Service
Journey time	20-40 minutes
Operates	Daily
Zone(s)	Myki Zone 1
Timetable	Route 78 timetable
Map	Route 78 map
Route map ← Route 75  {{{system_nav}}}  Route 82 →

Melbourne tram route 78 is operated by Yarra Trams on the Melbourne tram network. It operates from North Richmond to Balaclava. The 6.5 kilometre route is operated by A-class trams from Kew depot.^[1][2]

History

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.^[3] 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.^[4] 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.^[5]

On 2 April 1995, operation of route 78 was transferred from Kew depot to Glenhuntly depot.^[6] In the late 20th century, the line ran predominantly as route 79. Like nearly all trams 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 2004, after they had received brake upgrades. 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 In 2014 the Ws were withdrawn and replaced by Z- and A-class trams.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 also discontinued.^[7]

The route was operated by Glenhuntly Depot until April 30, 2017, when operation of the route was transferred back to Kew Depot. This was so there was more room for the larger B-class trams that were to be transferred to Glenhuntly.

Route

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.

Map

Route 78
North Richmond - Balaclava via South Yarra, Prahran and Windsor Fare zone 1 applies from stop 36 to 65.
Suburb Street Stop No. North Richmond Connections Victoria Street Tram 12, 109 Box Hill   City - Collins Street Richmond Church Street 65 Victoria Street 12, 109 64 Baker St 63 Kent St 62 Highett St 61 Bridge Road 48, 75 Bridge Road Tram 48, 75 Hawthorn Bridge   City/Docklands 60 Abinger St 59 St Ignatius Church 58 Gipps St 57 Swan St 70 Swan Street Tram 70 Wattle Park   Waterfront City Docklands 56 East Richmond Station East Richmond ●●●● 55 Gibbons St 54 Cotter St 53 Howard St South Yarra Chapel Street 51 Malcolm St South Yarra ●●● 50 Toorak Road 58 Toorak Road Tram 58 Toorak   Domain/West Coburg 49 Palermo St 48 Wilson St 47 Commercial Rd 72; 216, 219, 220 Commerical Road - Malvern Road Tram 72 Gardiner/Camberwell   Melbourne Universit Prahran Chapel Street 46 Chatham St Prahran ● 45 High St 6 High Street Tram 6 Glen Iris   Moreland Windsor Chapel Street 44 Duke St 43 Windsor Station Windsor ● 42 Dandenong Rd 5, 64 Dandenong Road Tram 5, 64 Malvern/East Brighton   Melbourne University St Kilda East St Kilda East 41 St Michael's Grammar School 40 Alma Rd 39 Argyle St 38 Inkerman St St Kilda St Kilda East 37 Carlisle St 3/3a, 16 Carlisle Street Tram 3/3a, 16 East Malvern   Melbourne University Balaclava ● 36 Brighton Road 67; 623 Brighton Road Tram 67 Carnegie   Melbourne University Suburb Street Stop No. Balaclava Connections

References

External links

• Media related to Melbourne tram route 78 at Wikimedia Commons
• Route 78 map
• Route 78 timetable