Route 59
B class tram on Mount Alexander Road
in May 2013
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 

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.

History

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

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

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

Route map

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
Bus interchange 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
Mainline rail interchange Essendon station
 
Napier Street
41
Essendon station
Bus interchange
465, 468, 475, 476
477, 501, 503
 
Fletcher Street
40
Nicholson Street
39
Hoddle Street
38
Pascoe Vale Road
Bus interchange 503, 510
37
Buckley Street
36
Salisbury Street
35
Queens Park
Bus interchange 508
34
Moonee Valley Civic Centre
Moonee Ponds Siding
32
Moonee Ponds Junction
Ascot Vale Road
Tram 82
31
Montgomery Street
30
Ormond Road
Bus interchange 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
Mainline rail interchange 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
Tram interchange 57, 58
16
Hawker Street
15
Murphy Street
14
Royal Melbourne Hospital
Bus interchange 401, 402, 403
Peel Street
Tram 58
 
 Left arrow Toorak
Royal Parade
Tram 19
9
Haymarket
Tram interchange 58, 59; Bus interchange 546
Victoria Street
Route 57
7
Queen Victoria Market
Tram interchange 57; Bus interchange 546
La Trobe Street
Tram 30, City Circle
Mainline rail interchange Melbourne Central station
5
Melbourne Central station
3
Bourke Street Mall
Bourke Street
Tram 86, 96
2
Collins Street
Tram interchange 11, 12, 48, 109
Collins Street
Tram 11, 12, 48, 109
1
Flinders Street station
Flinders Street
Tram 70, 75, City Circle
Mainline rail interchange Flinders Street station
Suburb
Street
Stop
No.
Flinders Street station
Connections
Note: Green denotes free tram zone

References

  1. Tramway to the Essendon Aerodrome Truck & Bus Transportation February 1943 page 43
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "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

Media related to Melbourne tram route 59 at Wikimedia Commons

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