Melbourne tram route 16

Melbourne tram route 16 is operated by Yarra Trams on the Melbourne tram network from Melbourne University to Kew. The 20.2 kilometre route is operated out of Malvern depot with Z and D1 class trams.

Route 16
D1 class tram on Swanston Street, August 2022
Overview
System	Melbourne
Operator	Yarra Trams
Depot	Malvern
Vehicle	Z class D1 class
Began service	26 April 1936
Route
Start	Melbourne University
Via	Swanston Street St Kilda Road Fitzroy Street The Esplanade Balaclava Road Glenferrie Road
End	Kew
Length	20.2 kilometres
Timetable	Route 16 timetable
Map	Route 16 map
Route map {{{map}}} ← Route 12  {{{system_nav}}}  Route 19 →

History

Route 16 was first allocated to the line between the City (Swanston Street) and St Kilda Beach on 26 April 1936 following the electrification of the Brunswick cable tram line. Prior to that, trams on the northern section of Sydney Road would run via Swanston Street to the southern suburbs. Route 16 ran the service between Coburg and St Kilda Beach. After 1936, trams traditionally terminated at the Victoria Street terminus, but following an accident in 1991, trams instead terminated at the Queensberry Street 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 16 trams were altered run full-time to Melbourne University. Traditionally, Route 16 ran between St Kilda Beach to a City terminus along Swanston Street, but most services would in fact continue north to Moreland as route 15. However, following the elimination of shared depot routes on 2 April 1995, route 15 was discontinued, and routes 16 and 22 were amended to run full-time.^[1] On 16 October 2004, route 16 was amalgamated with route 69 to run between Melbourne University and Kew (Cotham Road) via St Kilda Beach.^[2][3][4][5]

The origins of route 16 lie in separate tram lines. The section of track between Queensberry Street (Stop 4) and St Kilda Junction (Stop 30) 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. The section between Domain Interchange (Stop 20) and St Kilda Junction (Stop 30) 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. Meanwhile, the section between Luna Park (stop 138) and St Kilda Junction was originally the Windsor to St Kilda Beach cable tramway which opened on 27 October 1891. This line was electrified on 27 December 1925.

The line between Luna Park and the terminus at Cotham Road (Stop 80) was all constructed by the Prahran & Malvern Tramways Trust. The track between Wattletree Road (Stop 54) and High Street (Stop 57) was part of the original system which opened on 30 May 1910. The section of track between Hawthorn Road (Stop 48) and Wattletree Road opened on 16 December 1911 as part of the line to Windsor station. The section between Hawthorn Road and Luna Park opened on 12 April 1913, and the line from High Street to the Cotham Road terminus opened on 30 May 1913. Meanwhile, the Melbourne, Brunswick & Coburg Tramways Trust (MBCTT) constructed the section of Route 16 north of Queensberry Street towards Melbourne University. This section opened on 31 October 1916.

In 2007 a Siemens Avenio was trialled for three months on route 16.^[6]

Melbourne tram route 16 evolution

Dates	Route	Notes
During PMTT operation	Victoria Bridge to Esplanade	via Glenferrie Road and Balaclava Road
21 November 1929 - 25 April 1936	Coburg to St Kilda Beach	via Swanston Street
26 April 1936 - 14 April 1991	City (Victoria Street) to St Kilda Beach
15 April 1991 - 16 January 1996	City (Queensberry Street / Swanston Street) to St Kilda Beach	Some services terminated at Melbourne University
17 January 1996 - 16 October 2004	Melbourne University to St Kilda Beach	Operation transferred to Malvern depot from South Melbourne depot on 8 February 1997, merged with route 69 (on weekdays) on 11 December 2000, merged on weekends from 16 October 2004
17 October 2004 - onwards	Melbourne University to Kew (Cotham Road)	via St Kilda Beach

Operation

Route 16 is operated out of Malvern depot with Z and D1 class trams.^[7][8][9]

Route map

v t e Melbourne Tram Route 16
Melbourne University - Kew via City, St Kilda Beach & Malvern Free tram zone covers stops 8 to 13, fare zone 1 applies from stop 1 to 7, 14 to 80
Suburb Street Stop No. Melbourne University Connections continues as Tram 1 & 6 towards East Coburg & Moreland Carlton Swanston Street 1 Melbourne University 1, 3, 5, 6, 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 Anzac Station 58 Domain Road No Service (Temporary Closure) 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 High Street Tram 6 Glen Iris   29 Union Street St Kilda St Kilda Road 30 St Kilda Junction 3, 5, 64 Dandenong Road Tram 5, 64 Malvern/Brighton East   St Kilda Road Tram 3, 67   Fitzroy Street 131 St Kilda Road 3, 67 132 Princes Street 600, 922, 923 St Kilda Light Rail Tram 96     Brunswick East 133 Canterbury Road 96 134 Park Street 12 Park Street Tram 12     Victoria Gardens 135 Jacka Boulevard 606   The Esplanade 136 The Esplanade 138 Luna Park 96; 606, 623 Acland Street Tram 96     St Kilda Beach   Carlisle Street 32 Havelock Street 33 Barkly Street 34 Greeves Street 35 Brighton Road 623 Brighton Road Tram 67 Melbourne University   Carnegie Brighton Road 67 Balaclava Carlisle Street 36 St Kilda Town Hall 37 Chapel Street 78 Chapel Street Tram 78 North Richmond   Balaclava 38 Balaclava station Balaclava station ● 39 Orange Grove   Balaclava Road 40 Hotham Street 216, 219 Caulfield North Balaclava Road 41 Empress Road 42 Sidwell Avenue 43 Orrong Road 220 44 Ontario Street 45 Kent Grove 46 Kooyong Road 605 47 Elmhurst Road 51 Hawthorn Road 3, 64 Hawthorn Road Tram 64     Brighton East Balaclava Junction Balaclava Road Tram 3     Malvern East   Hawthorn Road 50 Inkerman Road 49 Arthur Road 48A Dandenong Road 64 Dandenong Road Tram 64 Melbourne University     Dandenong Road 48 Hawthorn Road Malvern Glenferrie Road 52 Dandenong Road 53 Malvern station Malvern station ●●●●● 54 Wattletree Road 5 Wattletree Road Tram 5 Melbourne University   Malvern 55 Llaneast Street 56 Malvern tram depot Malvern tram depot 57 High Street 6 High Street Tram 6 Melbourne University   Glen Iris 58 Bell Street 59 Malvern Road 72 Malvern Road Tram 72 Melbourne University   Camberwell 60 Stonnington Place 61 Moorakyne Avenue 62 Mayfield Avenue 63 Toorak Road 58 Toorak Road Tram 58 (Terminus) West Coburg   Toorak Glenferrie Road 64 Mernda Road 65 Kooyong station Kooyong station ● 66 Kooyong Tennis Centre Hawthorn Glenferrie Road 67 Gardiner Road 68 Callantina Road 69 South Street 70 Riversdale Road 70, 75 Riversdale Road Tram 70, 75 Docklands   Camberwell Junction 71 Urquhart Street 72 Mannigtree Road 73 Burwood Road 74 Glenferrie station Glenferrie station ●●● 75 Chrystobel Crescent 76 Johnson Street Kew Glenferrie Road 77 Barkers Road 78 Fitzwilliam Street 79 Wellington Street 80 Cotham Road 109 Cotham Road Tram 109 Port Melbourne   Box Hill Suburb Street Stop No. Kew Connections

References

1. Melbourne Trams Trolley Wire issue 261 May 1995 page 17
2. New improved routes for Melbourne's tram network Yarra Trams October 2004
3. Route 16 now goes further Yarra Trams 8 November 2014
4. Route changes in Melbourne Trolley Wire issue 299 December 2004 page 16
5. History of Melbourne Trams Routes from 1950 to 2009 Yarra Trams
6. Lisbon demonstrator arrives in Melbourne Trolley Wire issue 308 February 2007 pages 14/15
7. Malvern Depot Vicsig
8. Facts & figures Yarra Trams
9. Route 16 Yarra Trams

External links

Media related to Melbourne tram route 16 at Wikimedia Commons