Melbourne tram route 3
Encyclopedia
Tram
route 3 is a public transport
service in Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
. It runs from the University of Melbourne
north of the city centre to Malvern East
in the eastern suburb
s.
Like most tram routes in Melbourne, it is entirely within Metcard
/myki
ticketing Zone 1.
On weekends route 3 operates as route 3a and diverts through St Kilda.
In response to the State Government's 2001 Melbourne 2030 planning policy
, the Public Transport Users Association
lobbied to extend route 3 to East Malvern railway station or Chadstone Shopping Centre
.
from Queensberry Street to Milton Street and an electric line from Acland Street to Darling 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 and Omnibus Company.
The Prahran and Malvern Tramways Trust
opened a line from Alcand Street, St Kilda
to Hawthorn Road, Caulfield North
along Carlisle Street/Balaclava Road on 12 April 1913. This line was extended east by the Prahran and Malvern Tramways Trust from Hawthorn Road to Darling Road, Malvern East
on 13 November 1913.
The Melbourne, Brunswick and Coburg Tramways Trust opened its line from Park Street, North Carlton to Queensberry Street, Carlton
along Lygon Street, Elgin Street and Madeline Street - as the section of Swanston Street north of Victoria Street was originally known - on 31 October 1916.
The Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board converted the Swanston Street/St Kilda Road cable line to electric traction between 1924 and 1926, with electric trams able to run the entire length on 29 August 1926.
Large sections of these lines make up what is today's route 3.
During the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games
the route was through routed to West Coburg, from Domain Interchange, along route 55
to alleviate congestion along St Kilda Road. The temporary through routing was useful in helping daily commuters utilise other connection train stations at the city's west end. At Domain Interchange, a junction was instated. This set of switches has since been disabled after the demerger.
On 31 January 2009 route 3 was altered on the weekends to form route 3a, diverting from the regular route at St Kilda Junction
and travels through St Kilda
on Fitzroy Street, The Esplanade and Carlisle Street to rejoin the regular route at the corner of St Kilda Road
and Carlisle Street.
Route 3 runs from Melbourne University
travelling south on Swanston Street
, through the CBD
, passing Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
, Melbourne Central railway station
, State Library of Victoria
, Melbourne Town Hall
, City Square
, St Paul's Cathedral
, Flinders Street railway station, Federation Square
and Birrarung Marr.
Crossing the Yarra River
into Southbank along St Kilda Road, traversing the suburbs of Melbourne and South Melbourne, Victoria
, it passes The Arts Centre
, National Gallery of Victoria
, Victoria Barracks
and Shrine of Remembrance
. Passing through St Kilda Junction
at St Kilda
, it continues south on St Kilda Road, turning east into Carlisle Street, Balaclava
travelling towards St Kilda East
, where Carlisle Street becomes Balaclava Road, continuing east travelling through Caulfield North
. At Caulfield
it briefly travels on Normanby Road, Sir John Monash Drive and Dandenong Road - passing Caulfield station - and continues east into Waverley Road, Malvern East
, terminating at Darling Road, Malvern East.
and travels through St Kilda
on Fitzroy Street, The Esplanade and Carlisle Street, passing Luna Park
and St Kilda Beach rejoining the regular route at the corner of St Kilda Road
and Carlisle Street.
and are predominantly run by Z3 class trams, and occasionally with air conditioned B2 class articulated trams.
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
route 3 is a public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
service in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It runs from the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
north of the city centre to Malvern East
Malvern East, Victoria
Malvern East is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington...
in the eastern suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s.
Like most tram routes in Melbourne, it is entirely within Metcard
Metcard
"OneLink" redirects here. For the computer/cable company, see OneLink Communications.Metcard is the brand name of an integrated ticketing system used to access public transport in Melbourne, Australia. It is a universal ticket which allows users to ride on the city's Metlink network, consisting of...
/myki
Myki
myki is the contactless smartcard ticketing system being introduced on public transport in Victoria, Australia. myki is designed to replace a number of ticket systems in Victoria, primarily the Metcard and V/Line ticketing systems...
ticketing Zone 1.
On weekends route 3 operates as route 3a and diverts through St Kilda.
In response to the State Government's 2001 Melbourne 2030 planning policy
Melbourne 2030
The Metropolitan Strategy Melbourne 2030 is a Victorian Government strategic planning policy framework for the metropolitan area of Greater Melbourne, intended to cover the period 2001-2030. During this period the population of the metropolitan area is expected to grow by a million people to over 5...
, the Public Transport Users Association
Public Transport Users Association
The Public Transport Users Association is a community-based public transport lobby group in Victoria, Australia, based in Melbourne.- History and Aims :...
lobbied to extend route 3 to East Malvern railway station or Chadstone Shopping Centre
Chadstone Shopping Centre
Chadstone Shopping Centre is a super regional shopping centre located in the inner south-eastern suburb of Malvern East in the city of Melbourne, Australia...
.
History
The origins of route 3 lie in separate tram lines, an electric line from Melbourne University to Queensberry Street, a cable tramCable car (railway)
A cable car or cable railway is a mass transit system using rail cars that are hauled by a continuously moving cable running at a constant speed. Individual cars stop and start by releasing and gripping this cable as required...
from Queensberry Street to Milton Street and an electric line from Acland Street to Darling Road.
Cable trams first travelled from Queensberry Street, Carlton
Carlton, Victoria
Carlton is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne...
to Milton Street, Balaclava
Balaclava, Victoria
Balaclava is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, in Australia. It is situated in the south-east of the city in the St Kilda East area and is bounded by Inkerman Street to the north, Chapel Street to the west, Hotham Street to the east and Oak Grove and Los Angeles Court to the south. In terms of its...
(just south of Carlisle Street), on 11 October 1888, with the line opened by the Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company.
The Prahran and Malvern Tramways Trust
Prahran and Malvern Tramways Trust
The Prahran and Malvern Tramways Trust was a former tram operator in Melbourne, Australia. The trust was formed in 1907, with its first line operating in 1910...
opened a line from Alcand Street, St Kilda
St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
to Hawthorn Road, Caulfield North
Caulfield North, Victoria
Caulfield North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Glen Eira. At the 2006 Census, Caulfield North had a population of 14,034....
along Carlisle Street/Balaclava Road on 12 April 1913. This line was extended east by the Prahran and Malvern Tramways Trust from Hawthorn Road to Darling Road, Malvern East
Malvern East, Victoria
Malvern East is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington...
on 13 November 1913.
The Melbourne, Brunswick and Coburg Tramways Trust opened its line from Park Street, North Carlton to Queensberry Street, Carlton
Carlton, Victoria
Carlton is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne...
along Lygon Street, Elgin Street and Madeline Street - as the section of Swanston Street north of Victoria Street was originally known - on 31 October 1916.
The Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board converted the Swanston Street/St Kilda Road cable line to electric traction between 1924 and 1926, with electric trams able to run the entire length on 29 August 1926.
Large sections of these lines make up what is today's route 3.
During the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
the route was through routed to West Coburg, from Domain Interchange, along route 55
Melbourne tram route 55
Tram route 55 is a public transport service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs from the corner of Bell Street and Melville Road in West Coburg to the Domain Road Interchange - Domain Road and St Kilda Road east of the city....
to alleviate congestion along St Kilda Road. The temporary through routing was useful in helping daily commuters utilise other connection train stations at the city's west end. At Domain Interchange, a junction was instated. This set of switches has since been disabled after the demerger.
On 31 January 2009 route 3 was altered on the weekends to form route 3a, diverting from the regular route at St Kilda Junction
St Kilda Junction
St Kilda Junction is one of the most notorious intersections in Melbourne, Australia. It is located in the suburb of St Kilda, and bordering Windsor, Melbourne and St Kilda East, and is the meeting point of the major roads Punt Road, St Kilda Road, Dandenong Road/Queens Way/Princes Highway and...
and travels through St Kilda
St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
on Fitzroy Street, The Esplanade and Carlisle Street to rejoin the regular route at the corner of St Kilda Road
St Kilda Road, Melbourne
St Kilda Road is a street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is part of the locality of Melbourne which has the postcode of 3004 and along with Swanston Street forms a major spine of the city....
and Carlisle Street.
Route
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
travelling south on Swanston Street
Swanston Street, Melbourne
Swanston Street is a major thoroughfare in the centre of Melbourne, Australia. It is historically one of the main streets of central Melbourne, laid out in 1837 as part of the Hoddle Grid, the layout of major streets that makes up the central business district...
, through the CBD
Melbourne city centre
Melbourne City Centre is an area of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is not to be confused with the larger local government area of the City of Melbourne...
, passing Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
RMIT University
RMIT University is an Australian public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. It has two branches, referred to as RMIT University in Australia and RMIT International University in Vietnam....
, Melbourne Central railway station
Melbourne Central railway station
Melbourne Central is an underground station in the metro railway network of Melbourne, Australia. It is one of five stations on the City Loop, which encircles the central business district. The station is under La Trobe Street, between Swanston and Elizabeth Streets, on the northern edge of the CBD...
, State Library of Victoria
State Library of Victoria
The State Library of Victoria is the central library of the state of Victoria, Australia, located in Melbourne. It is on the block bounded by Swanston, La Trobe, Russell, and Little Lonsdale streets, in the northern centre of the central business district...
, Melbourne Town Hall
Melbourne Town Hall
Melbourne Town Hall is the central municipal building of the City of Melbourne, Australia, in the State of Victoria. It is located on the northeast corner of Swanston and Collins Streets, in the central business district. It is the seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Melbourne...
, City Square
City Square, Melbourne
The City Square is a pedestrian plaza and former civic centre located in the Central Business District of Melbourne, Australia. The square is currently bounded by Swanston Street, Collins Street, Flinders Lane and the Westin Hotel. Melbourne Town Hall and St Paul’s Cathedral are prominent...
, St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne
St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, is the metropolitical and cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, Victoria in Australia. It is the seat of the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne and Metropolitan of the Province of Victoria...
, Flinders Street railway station, Federation Square
Federation Square
Federation Square is a civic centre and cultural precinct in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
and Birrarung Marr.
Crossing the Yarra River
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
into Southbank along St Kilda Road, traversing the suburbs of Melbourne and South Melbourne, Victoria
South Melbourne, Victoria
South Melbourne is an inner city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Port Phillip and Melbourne...
, it passes The Arts Centre
The Arts Centre (Melbourne)
The Victorian Arts Centre is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the inner Melbourne suburb of Southbank in Victoria, Australia....
, National Gallery of Victoria
National Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery of Victoria is an art gallery and museum in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest and the largest public art gallery in Australia. Since December 2003, NGV has operated across two sites...
, Victoria Barracks
Victoria Barracks
There are several Victoria Barracks in the world.*Victoria Barracks, Windsor Castle*Victoria Barracks, Melbourne*Victoria Barracks, Hong Kong*Victoria Barracks, Sydney*Victoria Barracks, Brisbane...
and Shrine of Remembrance
Shrine of Remembrance
The Shrine of Remembrance, located in Kings Domain on St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Australia was built as a memorial to the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I and is now a memorial to all Australians who have served in war...
. Passing through St Kilda Junction
St Kilda Junction
St Kilda Junction is one of the most notorious intersections in Melbourne, Australia. It is located in the suburb of St Kilda, and bordering Windsor, Melbourne and St Kilda East, and is the meeting point of the major roads Punt Road, St Kilda Road, Dandenong Road/Queens Way/Princes Highway and...
at St Kilda
St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
, it continues south on St Kilda Road, turning east into Carlisle Street, Balaclava
Balaclava, Victoria
Balaclava is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, in Australia. It is situated in the south-east of the city in the St Kilda East area and is bounded by Inkerman Street to the north, Chapel Street to the west, Hotham Street to the east and Oak Grove and Los Angeles Court to the south. In terms of its...
travelling towards St Kilda East
St Kilda East, Victoria
St Kilda East is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south-east of Melbourne's central business district. It is located within the Local Government Areas of the City of Glen Eira and the City of Port Phillip. At the 2006 Census, it had a population of 12,188.St Kilda East is one...
, where Carlisle Street becomes Balaclava Road, continuing east travelling through Caulfield North
Caulfield North, Victoria
Caulfield North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Glen Eira. At the 2006 Census, Caulfield North had a population of 14,034....
. At Caulfield
Caulfield, Victoria
Caulfield is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Glen Eira...
it briefly travels on Normanby Road, Sir John Monash Drive and Dandenong Road - passing Caulfield station - and continues east into Waverley Road, Malvern East
Malvern East, Victoria
Malvern East is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington...
, terminating at Darling Road, Malvern East.
Route 3a Weekend Variation
On the weekends route 3 runs as route 3a, which diverts from the regular route at St Kilda JunctionSt Kilda Junction
St Kilda Junction is one of the most notorious intersections in Melbourne, Australia. It is located in the suburb of St Kilda, and bordering Windsor, Melbourne and St Kilda East, and is the meeting point of the major roads Punt Road, St Kilda Road, Dandenong Road/Queens Way/Princes Highway and...
and travels through St Kilda
St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
on Fitzroy Street, The Esplanade and Carlisle Street, passing Luna Park
Luna Park, Melbourne
For other amusement parks of the same name, see Luna Park; for other uses of the phrase, see Luna Park Melbourne's Luna Park is a historic amusement park located on the foreshore of Port Phillip Bay in St Kilda, Victoria, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Australia...
and St Kilda Beach rejoining the regular route at the corner of St Kilda Road
St Kilda Road, Melbourne
St Kilda Road is a street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is part of the locality of Melbourne which has the postcode of 3004 and along with Swanston Street forms a major spine of the city....
and Carlisle Street.
Operation
Route 3 and 3a are run from Glenhuntly depotGlenhuntly Tram Depot
Glenhuntly Tram Depot is located in South Caulfield, a suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia.It is one of 8 depots operated in the Yarra Trams network. The depot was opened in 1923.- Yard layout :...
and are predominantly run by Z3 class trams, and occasionally with air conditioned B2 class articulated trams.