Melbourne tram route 59

Melbourne tram route 59 is operated by Yarra Trams on the Melbourne tram network from Airport West to Flinders Street station. The 14.7 kilometre route is operated out of Essendon depot with Z and B class trams.

Route 59
B class tram crosses the Flemington Road/Grattan Street intersection, September 2024
Overview
SystemMelbourne
OperatorYarra Trams
DepotEssendon
VehicleZ class
B class
Began service16 May 1943
Route
StartAirport West
ViaNiddrie
Essendon
Moonee Ponds Junction
Ascot Vale
Flemington
North Melbourne
Elizabeth Street
EndFlinders Street station
Length14.7 kilometres
TimetableRoute 59 timetable
MapRoute 59 map
← Route 58  {{{system_nav}}}  Route 64 →

History

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Route 59 was first allocated to the line between Essendon Aerodrome and the Elizabeth Street terminus on 16 May 1943, when the Essendon line was extended to the Essendon Airport.[1][2] Prior to that, route 59 had been allocated to the Williamstown Road line on the Footscray system, but numbers were never really used since the single-truck trams that ran the line didn't have route number boxes. Trams from Essendon had always terminated at Elizabeth Street, though before the Brunswick cable tram line was converted in 1936, they instead terminated on William Street.[2] During the years where Essendon airport was Melbourne's primary airport, airlines usually transported passengers to the airport for free, the tram to Essendon Aerodrome was usually only used by airport workers. Thus when Tullamarine Airport opened in 1970, the line became of little use, and along with the fact that the line dangerously crossed the Tullamarine Freeway at grade, it was decided to truncate the line to terminate at Hawker Street, Airport West on 7 October 1976.[3][4] On 22 December 1992, the line was extended by 1.2 kilometres to Airport West Shopping Centre.[5][6]

The origins of Route 59 lie in separate lines. The oldest section of the line is between Flinders Street station (Stop 1) and Haymarket (Stop 9) was originally constructed as part of the Brunswick cable tram line, which opened on 1 October 1887.[2] This line was converted to electric traction on 29 December 1936. The section of track between Abbotsford Street (near Stop 20) and Flemington Bridge station (Stop 22) was also originally part of the cable network as the North Melbourne line, which was converted to electric traction on 19 July 1925. The line between Abbotsford Street and Haymarket was constructed and opened by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board on the same day.[2] The section between Flemington Bridge and Keilor Road (near Stop 46) was originally opened by the North Melbourne Electric Tramway & Lighting Company on 11 October 1906. This line was extended to Gilles Street (near Stop 49) on 7 July 1923, and then again to Birdwood Street (near Stop 51) on 7 February 1937.[2] The line to Hawker Street (Stop 57) opened on 16 May 1943 as part of the Essendon Aerodrome line. The rest of the line to Airport West opened on 22 December 1992.

G-class trams will roll out on the route in 2025.[7]

Melbourne tram route 59 evolution
Dates Route Notes
c. 1934- 21 December 1940 Williamstown Road to Footscray Never used as single-truck trams on the
line had no number plates
22 December 1940 - 15 May 1943 Unallocated
16 May 1943 - 6 October 1976 Essendon Aerodrome to Flinders Street station
7 October 1976 - 21 December 1992 Airport West (Hawker Street) to Flinders Street station
22 December 1992 - present Airport West to Flinders Street station

Route Description

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The route starts at the corner of Matthews Avenue and Rodd Road, Airport West and operates via Niddrie, Essendon, Moonee Ponds Junction, Ascot Vale, Flemington, North Melbourne and Elizabeth Street to terminate at Flinders Street station.

Operation

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Routes 59 is operated out of Essendon depot with Z and B class trams.[8][9][10]

Route map

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Route 59
Airport West - Flinders Street station
via Essendon, Flemington, Parkville & City
Free tram zone covers stops 7 to 1, fare zone 1 applies from stop 59 to 9
Suburb
Street
Stop
No.
Airport West
Connections
Airport West
Matthews Avenue
59
 
 
 
Airport West
58
 
Marshall Road
57
 
Hawker Street
56
 
Earl Street
55
 
Cameron Street
Niddrie
Matthews Avenue
54
 
 
 
Fullarton Street
53
 
Keilor Road
 
Keilor Road
53A
 
Matthews Avenue
  475, 476, 483, 501
52
 
Hoffmans Road
51
 
 
 
Bradshaw Street
50
 
Cooper Street
49
 
Essendon North Primary School
48
 
Service Street
47
 
Mount Alexander Road
46
 
Lincoln Road
45
 
Leake Street
44
 
Thorn Street
43
 
Brewster Street
42
 
Shamrock Street
 
 
 
 
  Essendon station
 
Napier Street
41
 
Essendon station
 
465, 468, 475, 476
477, 501, 503
 
Fletcher Street
40
 
Nicholson Street
39
 
Hoddle Street
38
 
Pascoe Vale Road
  503, 510
37
 
Buckley Street
36
 
 
 
Salisbury Street
35
 
Queens Park
  508
34
 
Moonee Valley Civic Centre
 
 
Moonee Ponds Siding
32
 
Moonee Ponds Junction
 
 
Ascot Vale Road
Tram 82
31
 
Montgomery Street
30
 
Ormond Road
  504, 505
29
 
 
 
Warwick Street
28
 
Middle Street
 
 
Essendon tram depot
27
 
Essendon tram depot
26
 
 
 
Wellington Street
25
 
Mount Alexander College
24
 
Mooltan Street
23
 
Flemington Community Centre
 
 
 
 
  Flemington Bridge station
22
 
 
 
Flemington Bridge station
 
 
Racecourse Road
Tram 57
20
 
Melrose Street
 
 
Abbotsford Street
Tram 57
 
 
Royal Park Light Rail
Tram 58
19
 
Royal Children's Hospital
16
 
Hawker Street
15
 
Murphy Street
14
 
Royal Melbourne Hospital
  401, 402, 403
 
 
Peel Street
Tram 58
 
   Toorak
 
 
Royal Parade
Tram 19
9
 
 
 
Haymarket
  58, 59;   546
 
 
 
Victoria Street
Route 57
7
 
Queen Victoria Market
  57;   546
 
 
 
La Trobe Street
Tram 30, City Circle
 
 
 
 
 
  Melbourne Central station
5
 
Melbourne Central station
3
 
Bourke Street Mall
 
 
 
Bourke Street
Tram 86, 96
2
 
Collins Street
 
 
 
Collins Street
Tram 11, 12, 48, 109
1
 
Flinders Street station
 
 
 
Flinders Street
Tram 70, 75, City Circle
 
 
 
  Flinders Street station
Suburb
Street
Stop
No.
Flinders Street station
Connections
Note: Green denotes free tram zone

References

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  1. ^ Tramway to the Essendon Aerodrome Truck & Bus Transportation February 1943 page 43
  2. ^ a b c d e "Gunzel". www.classicaustraliantv.com. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  3. ^ New Essendon Airport Terminus Electric Traction November 1976 page 172
  4. ^ City Section Trolley Wire issue 176 December 1976 page 39
  5. ^ Melbourne Tram Extensions Transit Australia April 1993 page 75
  6. ^ Annual Report for year ended 30 June 1993 VicRoads
  7. ^ "Designs for Maidstone's new tram facility released - Community update – April 2023". Department of Transport and Planning. April 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  8. ^ Essendon Depot Vicsig
  9. ^ Facts & figures Yarra Trams
  10. ^ Route 59 Yarra Trams
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  Media related to Melbourne tram route 59 at Wikimedia Commons