Melbourne Tramways

Of all the wide-ranging systems and an ample array of transport services in the city of Melbourne in Australia, the tram network is the most interesting of all.

A tram is basically a rail-borne vehicle which runs on a railroad or railway tracks. These vehicles weighs less and have simpler constructions compared to that of a usual train. The design is basically intended to convey passengers between villages, towns and cities using tracks running on streets.

There are other tramways or tram networks in other parts of the world, but the one found in Melbourne is regarded as the world's largest network of trams. Melbourne holds this title together with the tram network in the Silesian Interurbans that has been in existence since 1894.

The history of trams in Melbourne entails two types of this railborne vehicle, the Horse/cable Trams and the Electric Trams. The first forty years of tramway operation in Melbourne consisted of seven horse trams which were organized by various organizations. A horse tram, one which is driven by a horse, offered an easier ride compared to horse-drawn carriages and carried larger loads. However, the horses leave a trail of manure droppings and urine on their track. By November 11, 1985 Melbourne's first cable tram network the Richmond Line opened. Between 1885 and 1891, the Melbourne councils and ten surrounding municipalities constructed the cable-hauled tramway system that has been used for more than 5 decades. The cable trams' roar and clinging bells provided the musical background to Melbourne streets. Even then, the cable tram system has already awed the world due to its construction that met the international standards. Its 46 mile double track served 17 routes from the centre of the city towards neighboring borders. It may even have went beyond American cable tram networks such as the one in Chicago which once laid claim to the title of the world's largest tram network. Passengers then only have to wait four minutes for the cable tram where they could avail a smooth ride. Unfortunately, this cable tram network's operation halted in 1940. Parts or relics of this old public transport may now only be a part of a private collection as none of it can now be seen in modern Melbourne streets.

1888 was the year when the first electric tram in Australia was demonstrated at the Centennial International Exhibition. Historically, this pioneer vehicle plus a second care offered standard tramway transportation (for Box Hill Station and Doncaster) within the years covered by 1889 and 1896. The Victorian Railways line opened in 1906 and revived the electric trams en route from St Kilda to Brighton. From here, several municipalities agreed to build electric tramways in their areas of jurisdiction.

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