Melbourne's tram system is an example that should be followed by other cities around the world.

Ballarat actually still haves their tram’s, but there’s only one tram line around the lake and I believe two or three stops around the lake Wendouree, and it’s kind-of a- joy ride tram. Now only two or three trams are left in Ballarat.

Stupid pommies, they don't speak any languages

One of the best features and decisions made in Melbourne. Its massive and effective tram system brings money, shoppers, workers and tourists into the CBD and all its surrounding suburbs.

Trams are great in the inner city and on dedicated lines but I never liked them on the suburban streets as they stopped traffic too often. Ironically though this stop start effect actually calms the cars and probably helps with traffic flow in peak hours.

because Melbourne has good sense

I stopped by to admire all the classic cars. 👍😉

Where I live - Honolulu - our streetcar system only lasted for 40 years, from 1901 to 1941. Most of the streetcars were replaced by electric buses (also called trolley buses) that used the same overhead power lines, till 1957. I think some of the arguments against streetcars were: 1) Being tied to tracks, if there was a breakdown or some other obstruction, everything on that line was stopped, and 2) Passengers dangerously had to get on and off in the middle of the street where they could be struck by passing cars. I do know that the ringing of bells to signal stops and starts was considered extremely aggravating for anyone who lived nearby, and a major church actually abandoned its large building to move somewhere away from that noise that constantly interrupted services.

1:24 - "Dr. Sheldon's Gin Pills For The Kidneys." Hmm..."gin pills"? Alcohol is damaging to the kidneys, not healthful. Mysterious.

Why would any city council get rid of something that actually FIGHTS pollution. That's right, tram's electric motors produce Ozone,(Tri atomic Oxygen). Why replace trams, that cary oodles more passengers, with stinky busses?

Wow. great video, It just popped up in my YT feed ... like 3 years later. But yeah, construction is fully underway on all these projects. The Ellenbrook line opens in just a couple of weeks. The Armadale-Byford line is under construction, the elevated inner Armadale line too. Within the next 6 months (I am posting November 2024) the rail work will massively expand in capacity and new routes.... Just in time for the next state election in march 2025. Timing might be a coincidence :/

Strait throughing the lines eliminating the loop doubles capacity at minimal cost and we need that

every time i unfortunately have to ride a bus i get violently motion sick, theres almost no room and the air is stale, trams on the other hand i almost never get motion sickness, there is almost always room unless you are in the cbd in peak hour, and they either have aircon or ability to open the window

Trams are quite popular in Melbourne, mostly around the CBD. The layout of the tram routes are mostly all connected. Meaning you can hop onto on tram then get onto another very easily. Also considering that the CBD is increasing more free car zones, their usefulness increases. Plus when using the tram inside the CBD, it's free! And who doesn't love free travelling!

boring

I just love your videos. Thanks so much Side note, I guess the Eastern Freeway will never get to proposed train down the middle, surely trams could go there instead.

Awesome video. Brings back memories. Grew up in Melbourne victoria and always travelled by tram. Became a Team Conductor in 1987 to 1998. Loved working on the W class trams.😊

2:31 Yes, my father used to call them mobile traffic jams :-)

you pronounced Launceston wrong

Melbourne wouldn't feel like Melbourne without the trams.

We had some great conductors working out of the Malvern Depot. I still to this day have no idea how one of them used to spin his hat on his head to entertain children.

I'm not really one for conspiracy theories BUT one must question, with regard to Adelaide's tram system, how come its demise coincided with the establishment of the General Motors-Holden plant at Elizabeth , and the surge in private motor car use. Check out the documentary "The GM Conspiracy"

Melbourners wants to feel special this post was made by the third non existent part of australia gang

There is a bigger driver of the end of trams and that's WW2 civilian casualties. In WW2 those with boats got out first (fleeing Europe completely), those with cars got out next (avoiding the line of axis or allied advance), and those relying only on trams were trapped and died by the thousands often with huge losses at the end of the line. This was also true of those that were bicycle based. The US combat engineer units had to bury the huge piles of bodies. Those combat engineers went on to be city and highway planners after the war. There were conferences on how to effectively evacuate cities in a time of war and that in the 1950's meant nuclear war. Bicycles and trams were death traps; they could not out run modern war let alone an incoming nuclear attack or fallout. Wide highways and cars meant millions could flee in an hour with no government action. Studies of civilian casualties influenced and created the car culture, camping culture and the favoring of marinas everywhere. Armies did not fight for and thus destroy cul de sac streets so that was favored. T intersections were less damaged and had less fought over than + intersections so the former was favored. Highway bypasses meant war bypassed towns and cities leaving them intact. All this was studied, books published in the late 40's and 50's and acted on in the 1960's. Those cities that still had trams on VE day were the cities that war bypassed or were eastern European cities. The books were never translated into Russian or German from the English. Melbourne was never fought over and its city planners never served in Europe so Melbourne's system was unaffected. I'm strange I was studying fallout shelters and city evacuation plans when I was a teen in the 1970's. The oil industry was a minor player. The pentagon and a hundred parliaments were a far greater player. Engineering veterans societies were super pro car.

I always see the trams in melbourne as part of the cities charms and character. Remove the trams and the city will lose a lot of what is is known for. I do street photograpy (hobby) in the city and the surrounding inner suburbs and the trams are usally a great subject to take photos. And the tram network has proven through the years that it just works so well, that's why Melbourne host a lot of major sporting and entertainment events. I do hope that they expand the network though espcially in the west.

At 7:32 this W-class seems to have different and more modern bogies. Remind me of the Czech Tatra T3 bogie or, for that matter, of a PCC type tram.

We needed a Rissons in Auckland. The city fathers ripped out our trams in the 50s and replaced them with buses and motorways.

You left out the single most important reason: BOLTE DID NOT HAVE CONTROL OF THE UPPER HOUSE. That alone is the main reason Melbourne's trams survived. Yes, everything else you mentioned was a factor, but Bolte could not close the trams because the Upper House would block him. That is why Ballarat and Bendigo survived into the early 1970s, because several attempts to close those systems were blocked by the Upper House. When Bolte finally got control of the Upper House they were closed. Melbourne was going to be next, but by then it would have been political suicide to close the trams. Then Bolte was replaced by Hamer and so the trams survived, and construction of new trams and new tram lines resumed. Bolte starved the MMTB of funds in the 1960s. Plenty of money for new bus services in Doncaster, nothing for trams. The MMTB was left to its own resources. When Bolte got into power Geelong closed, the VR trams to Brighton and Sandy closed, the order for 30 new trams was cancelled, plans for tram extensions were dropped. The MMTB closed Footscray and Point Ormond as a defensive tactic against Bolte, they were consolidating their resources to keep the tramway alive. It was a close call. If Bolte had the numbers, Melbourne's trams would be history.

While trains are beautiful trams with the exception of the W class trams are hideous slow and anouing

as a Victorian I grew up with my father LOVING the trams and trains of Victoria, and as I grew up trams are incredibly convenient unlike busses that are a plague on society (buggers are never on time and drive like dragsters) and the best part is in the Melbourne CBD trams are free to ride sooooo suck it busses

You forgot that there’s a free tram that goes in a loop around the city of Melbourne. We call them the red trams.

I've lived in Melbourne since 1980 and have never been on a tram; I regular use trains which of course have dedicated railways and likewise, trams should only be used with dedicated tramways such as with Burwood Highway and are an abomination when sharing the road with other vehicles; I refuse to travel and shop in those inner city areas that have trams in the area because of the congestion that trams contribute to.

My grandfather was a Melbourne tram driver in the 60s, 70s and 80s so they hold a special place in my heart and I know he'd love the new high tech ones as he was always interested in new things ❤

6.55 Vaughan st ,Essendon airport before Tulla freeway.There is still NO rail link to Tullamarine airport

❤

and unfortunately, Melbourne tram drivers are singularly the most, anti-service, people. This is really sad, because we have an amazing public transport system, but our tram drivers are old and out-dated, and do not represent our beautiful city.

If you want to ride a 4D train come to Sydney Australia where you can ride a tangera which is the same as the 4D

St Petersberg in Russia still has a large tram network at over 200km however it has contracted from over 280km in the days of the USSR.

And that’s why Melbourne became the events capital. We can host any event with ease & able to move the masses frequently.

Don’t get me wrong I’m happy we retained our trams but this came at the expense of the bus network almost all the other cities in Australia have much better bus networks in Melbourne’s

when i was living in Melbourne i couldn't stand getting a tram from thornebury where i lived to the city because there were way to many stops and to slow. but when around the city they are great.

Turns out there was actually a plan in 1959 to turn Sydney's tram network into a "Rapid Transit" or basically just a light rail. I can only imagine what could have been.....drive.google.com/file/d/0B0l1_6-gk80_NDBkNGU0YmQtNGMyMS00YWQ5LTgwMjMtMjlhMDhhMDY4ODEy/view?resourcekey=0-7M7v1-Ock9rlZ6Kasar3Xg

Broken Hill N.S.W. had a steam tram service which had about 12 motors closing about late 1940's.

Ask Jeff Kennet why is not train going to mildura

In 1967 Australia chose the Melbourne trams to represent our way of life to the rest of the world on the telecast "Our World". England chose the Beatles....

Closing the Sydney tram system was one thing but did they need to burn the trams?

I feel this is missing major tram networks in Japan such as Hiroshima and Okayama

I like the crank-handles on the fronts of those double-decker buses. I bet there would be a few broken wrists trying to crank-start those beasties!