The Upfield Line Tram that Never Was

Today, the Upfield line provides an important transport link between Melbourne’s CBD and the northern suburbs. But 35 years ago, it looked like the line may not live to see the 21st Century. We explore Upfield's never completed light rail project.
00:00 Intro
00:25 History
01:54 St Kilda / Port Melbourne LR
03:07 Upfield LR Plans
04:51 Light Rail Issues
06:14 Upfield Line Upgrade
07:21 Recent History
08:08 The Future
08:57 Outro
Media Credits:
Ted Bear - Victorian Rail - A Run To Upfield, early 1990's, semaphore signals and manual gates galore! - • Victorian Rail - A Run...
Photos from Weston Langford, Wikimedia Commons, Victorian Railways.Net, Wongm etc
Sources:
www.trammuseum.org.au/downloa...
www.theage.com.au/national/vi...
www.vicrailstations.com/Upfiel...
www.hawthorntramdepot.org.au/...
www.danielbowen.com/2020/11/0...
undertheclocksblog.files.word...
sites.google.com/site/melbrai...
www.ptua.org.au/myths/lightrail/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upfield...

[@electro_sykes]

I reckon they should reactivate the section of the Upfield line north of upfield to Roxburgh Park. And then duplicate it for the remainder of its length from Gowrie. This would allow for some Craigieburn services to run along the Upfield line and other Craigieburn services to run express on the current route between Broadmeadows and North Melbourne, allowing for quick trips into the City. And it also leaves enough capacity for trains operating a new service stopping all stations to Broadmeadow. In addition, if the existing route via Broadmeadow had to be closed due to an incident or trackwork, or even delays than they can just be rerouted via the upfield line.

[@handyandyaus]

You've almost completely omitted mention of the huge local community campaign to save the railway line. This was probably the single most important thing that contributed to its retention.

[@michaelpoynter7165]

yeh he mentioned it!

[@rileycummaudo8612]

Thankfully it didn’t happen because the Upfield line is one of my favourite as it’s really cool with the new stations like Moreland and Coburg

[@georgedragicevic5618]

Travelled the Upfield line for many years. I can remember when Fawkner was the terminus and the AEC railmotor went to Campbellfield. Sort of dates me, but I'm happy to see there is a future for the line. With the amount of infrastructure now built it's future is certain and hopefully it will have an expanded role in the system. Good video.

[@garynewton1263]

Railmotor went to Somerton & a DERM wrnt to Whittlesea.

[@themelbournerailfan]

Nice video, I’m glad to see the upfield line is still train services. 😅Anyways good job man, keep up the good work and hope to see more vids soon.

[@michaelpoynter7165]

Thanks for this, I grew up on the Upfield Line @ Fawkner, in the 6-70's, sometimes 6 days a week, plus No19 Tram. Glad to hear were finally possibly going to expand our outer suburban routes. Now in Lilydale and astounded they aint gunna extend (back like it once was) to Yarra Glenn and Healesville, now there effectively outer suburbs too. Have subscribed, thanks for the work.

[@chasindigo]

It will eventually, just need more capacity in the city loop first, it is the same as beyond Cranbourne and Frankston to Stony Point.

[@markspinello5015]

Might be extended to Coldstream in the short-term...

[@garynewton1263]

Leave Melbourne's train lines alone. State Governments, take heed. Melbourne is growing, you need to extend these lines, not close them. Whittlesea, Healesville, Melton, Clyde & Mornington!!!!

[@letsseeif]

Thanks for this video. It's filled in a lot of my missing knowledge about the Upfield line.

[@malcolmhewison9744]

Great job in the video lived in the area as a teenager used the upfield line all the time

[@Lachtrain]

Very interesting video glad to know more about the upfield line

[@adammurphy6845]

Great stuff Metro Man

[@icascone]

Oh wow, didn't realise that the upfield line has had a battle for survival! I'm glad it didn't happen! Thanks for info!!

[@matube73]

That was awesome 👌

[@NicholassTrainChannel]

Nice video mate. Thanks for an informative video as always. Never knew there was plans to make the Upfield line light rail. It doesn't seem like a good idea to make it as A light rail line.

[@genwilbolandres980]

We’d know now how terrible it would’ve been, upfield line is one of the busiest

[@viathealtonaloop]

Very Nice!

[@lastnightsmusic6067]

I grew up in upfield. Getting home from the city at night or on a Sunday was pretty annoying until they increased timetables to match that of other lines. I remember the proposal to convert the line to light rail, imagine that happened, with the current density of the suburbs on that corridor. And the level crossing impacts with the frequency of light rail.

[@fordfan1au]

Born and raised in Brunswick in the 70s with the Upfield line being a very important part of my life. Though I'm very glad that the train line was/is retained and the plans to extend the line to Wallan (AND DUPLICATE THE LINE TO UPFIELD) (rant over😁), I however also wonder if light rail was instigated that dual track have been laid to Gowrie and then not long after that a right turn been made with the light rail terminating at the Campbellfield Shopping Centre. Upfield would have been serviced by a shuttle bus from Campbellfield Shopping Centre - most travel past Gowrie back at that time would of been the workers at the Ford Factory

[@rememberingthefuture9500]

The main impetus for converting Upfield to light rail was cost saving because of a perceived duplication of services. On the face of it, there was a parallel train and tram line, so an obvious compromise was light rail, and that may have worked if the suburbs were of a different character. However, the tram and train served different purposes. The tram line was one of the busiest in Melbourne, and operated at very high frequencies - in the 1970s it had a 4 minute service during the day and a 30 second service at the height of the peaks. it provided a fast direct journey along Royal Pde, but was slow in congested Sydney Rd, however it provided an excellent local service. The train provided a fast journey to the City, albeit via a roundabout route through North Melb, but that also provided services to areas and connections to other trains that the tram didn't. So although at first glance it may seem like a waste of resources having both a tram and train, and therefore a logical choice for a light rail rationalisation, the fact is that it was more efficient to retain both tram and train. Ultimately comon sense prevailed, but that victory was in spite of the various governments and not because of them.

[@Alexander_Dunn]

great work, Upfield will become an important corridor soon as vline services could move off the congested essendon route and go via coburg.

[@Alexander_Dunn]

also, are you sure that 1364 people can fit into an Xtrap? that's like, 230 per carriage?

[@MetroManMelbourne]

@@Alexander_Dunn that’s crush load capacity.

[@Alexander_Dunn]

@@MetroManMelbourne ah right.

[@sandrafowler6717]

The Cranbourne line needs to be extended, the residents of Clyde and Clyde North are crying out for it, and the track reservation is still in place when it was the line that was once the to Gippsland.

[@AheadMatthewawsome]

Hi there, thanks for another great video! I have a question for everyone else, would the opening of a tram line through the corridor of the old Inner and maybe even Outer Circle line might work? It'd probably work even better once they got the Metro Tunnel 2 that may bypass Rushall.

[@Simcitywok]

East Camberwell to Fairfield is not a heavily travelled region (Outer Circle section not served by train). It’s more socially acceptable for rail trails for walking - they’ll stay that way I’m sure

[@tonnyyyyyyyyy]

Would be nice if the Upfeild line connects to the Glen Waverley line in future with the city loop reconfiguration

[@74_pelicans]

Would require a bit of change as Glen Waverley is operated by the north group, and upfield the south group

[@sebastianliggieri8411]

I just can't imagine trams on the Upfield line haha. So many tramway crossings lol. Ps what about a part 2 to the forgotten tram lines video?

[@lauriewhite8153]

I use the Upfield line a fair bit (I live in the country, but my grandfather lives in Coburg so we stay nearby). I also think Gaffney Street needs to be removed (Batman Station). Maybe extend the removal as far as Fawkner station. Cross Boundary Road on Skyrail and then lower the line afterwards

[@MetroManMelbourne]

It would be great to extend the skyrail north, I reckon it will happen but not for a decade or so. Would be rather interesting to have a 10km+ skyrail!

[@fordfan1au]

A number of crossings in Brunswick south of Moreland have been scheduled for removal - IIRC this means Coburg to Royal Park is set for Sky Rail

[@realpoptracks]

WOOOO UPFIELD LINE

[@zksnxtrap]

It would be amazing to see the Upfield and Craigieburn Lines join the Burnley Group, and Sandringham could go along the Clifton Hill services, so the whole city has an end to end connection with each other, but that totally won't happen lol

[@Techno-Universal]

I guess the new low floored tram there was technically possibly also an early concept for what the B class trams could of been but instead the B class trams ended up as a double length articulated version of the existing A class trams! It would of been really cool if they chose that light rail vehicle design to also be the design of the new B class trams at the time! :)

[@hifivaliant8937]

B class trams originally had steps that folded down to road level and stayed up for stopping at a railway station. Perhaps it was just a prototype? look up B 2000 and B 2001. During testing they ran on 75 East Burwood line and were designed with folding steps for running on Port Melbourne and St. Kilda light rail. But the government decided to abandon the use of the platforms at the stations on these train lines and instead build ground level platforms. So the B Class was built as articulated A class. Comeng had a design for low floor trams back in 1988 but the Vic government did not commission the building of these trams... and due to anti-Australian built policy of the Victorian government we now have craptastic totally un-melbourne, poorly riding french and german trams which are not suited to Melbourne at all.

[@Techno-Universal]

@@hifivaliant8937 Those C and D class trams are also budget tram models from their manufacturers with some customisations for our network! :)

[@markspublictransportvideos8429]

Dont forget that the Upfield will have x'trapolis 2.0 as well

[@victorianvlogsofficial]

and i really need one tram line in broadmeadows have juctions of 3 line to the station to jacana and then in a few uears make the glenroy line then i will be entertained just put a line in the shoping centre AND YES sometimes people work for the goverment can note this im not really sure about that

[@iannosworthy1529]

Yet another great video. I hope your vision comes to pass. Ian Nosworthy

[@TrebleSketch]

Curious where did you get the map from the Future section of the video?

[@MetroManMelbourne]

PTV network development plan 2013 stage 4. I have the 2018 one as well but it’s lower quality.

[@victorianvlogsofficial]

because there is too much bus stops and like hoppers crossings its busy

[@emilyisoffline]

i love upfield

[@norahk3629]

Okay but did anyone else spot the West Coast Railway loco? What's it doing moving city trains in Melbourne, shouldn't it be down on the Warrnambool line?

[@MetroManMelbourne]

Got chartered to do some hitachi scrap transfers in the early 2000s. Couldn’t find any pics of the 1990s upfield transfers so I figured this was close enough.

[@electro_sykes]

the lonie report promoted car use

[@electro_sykes]

and also the kennett government

[@griffinrails]

fawkner cemetery funeral tram when???

[@joelpackett7582]

coffin tram ⚰️⚰️⚰️⚰️

[@viathealtonaloop]

🔥

[@joelpackett7582]

Why is the field up

[@DaleDix]

Because it's up. If it were down maybe it would be called downfield? If it were only half way up maybe it would be called halfwayfield?

[@prypxl]

However, it’s still possible for suburbs to have a down in there name if they are in the up northern part of the state.

[@frozenblazenon]

Route 75

[@MooTransit]

upfield man melbourne

[@FiveTangent4882]

Trams by Metro Man Melbourne

[@Bobman84]

Upfield line was saved by the Kennett government. Labor were behind the St. Kilda and Port Melbourne train line closures.

[@MetroManMelbourne]

Probably the one good thing the Kennett government did for public transport.

[@rememberingthefuture9500]

The Liberals wanted to close St Kilda and Port Melb altogether. Labor 'saved' them by converting to tram. Like almost every government project, the conversion could have been done better, but nonetheless it has been successful, the trams carry more people than the trains. The Kennett government saved the Upfield line from themselves - the conversion to light rail had already been dropped by Labor and they were going to retain it as a train line. When Kennett got into power he wanted to close it, then changed his mind.

[@Bobman84]

@@rememberingthefuture9500 Labor was in government for 5 years before the St. Kilda and Port Melbourne lines were converted, so there are arguments for and against it, but it does seemed to have worked by connecting other tram lines together. As far as changing mind goes, that was a good decision to save the Upfield line - despite being so close to the Epping (at the time) line.

[@rohantrainvlogs]

first 🤓

[@AheadMatthewawsome]

^ Fact.

[@joelpackett7582]

🤓

[@griffinrails]

👽👽👽

[@Aussie_Hset]

🤓

[@Aussie_Hset]

Downfield

[@jonathancox2907]

Just leave the trains alone,like it used to be.

[@nicksza_au6339]

based tram idea (this message was approved by the liberal party)