Yarra Trams

Facts & figures

Stkildaroad

Tram network

  • Melbourne has the biggest operating tram network in the world with 250 kilometres of double track.
  • There are 1763 tram stops across the network.
  • Yarra Trams operates 29 tram routes and the free City Circle tourist tram.
  • Around 80% of Melbourne's tram network shares road space with other vehicles.
  • The average speed of a tram is 16 km/h. Within the central business district this drops to 11 km/h.

Tram services

  • Yarra Trams operates Melbourne's entire tram network.
  • Annual patronage for 2011-12 was 191.6 million boardings
  • Annual patronage growth from 2009-10 was 4.1%
  • Trams travel more than 24.6 million kilometres each year on timetabled services.
  • 31,500 tram services are scheduled each week.
  • Trams are in service for more than 20 hours per day.
  • Yarra Trams provides drivers and maintenance facilities for "The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant".
  • Yarra Trams is a 24 hour operation which includes network maintenance and cleaning.

Tram Fleet

  • The 487 trams in the Yarra Trams fleet range from modern low floor vehicles to the iconic W Class -
  • 70 A Class
  • 132 B Class
  • 36 three section C Class low floor Citadis
  • 5 five section C2 Class "Bumblebee" low floor Citadis
  • 38 three section D Class low floor Combino
  • 21 five section D Class low floor Combino
  • 38 W Class
  • 147 Z Class

Our routes

Route 75 - Vermont South to City (Spencer Street) is the longest tram route in Melbourne. It is just under a third of the distance of the longest tram line in the world, the Coast Tram in Belgium which is 68km long.

Rank Length Route
1st 22.8km 75 - Vermont South to City (Spencer Street)
2nd 22.2km 86 - Bundoora RMIT to Waterfront City Docklands
3rd 20.2km 16 - Kew to Melbourne University via St Kilda
4th 19.2km 109 - Box Hill to Port Melbourne
5th 18.0km 112 - West Preston to St Kilda
6th 16.8km 72 - Camberwell to Melbourne University
7th 16.5km 70 - Wattle Park to Waterfront City Docklands
8th 16.3km 3a - East Malvern to Melbourne University via St Kilda Beach
9th 16.1km 64 - East Brighton to Melbourne University
10th 15.7km 8 - Moreland to Toorak
11th 15.4km 67 - Carnegie to Melbourne University
12th 14.9km 3 - East Malvern to Melbourne University
13th 14.7km 59 - Airport West to City
14th 13.9km 96 - St Kilda Beach to East Brunswick
15th 13.5km 48 - North Balwyn to Victoria Harbour
16th 13.2km 1 - East Coburg to South Melbourne Beach
17th 12.7km 6 - Glen Iris to Melbourne University
18th 12.6km 5 - Malvern to Melbourne University
18th 12.6km 24 - North Balwyn to La Trobe Street (West End)
20th 12.5km 55 - West Coburg to Domain Interchange
21st 11.6km 57 - West Maribyrnong to City
22nd 10.2km 19 - North Coburg to City
23rd 9.2km 82 - Footscray to Moonee Ponds
24th 7.5km 79 - North Richmond to St Kilda Beach
25th 6.5km 78 - North Richmond to Prahran
26th 2.9km 30 - Docklands to St Vincent's Plaza

* Guide only - does not include some shuttle routes.

Our Team

  • Yarra Trams employs more than 2100 people.
  • More than 1190 tram drivers operate services from eight depots - Brunswick, Camberwell, East Preston, Essendon, Glenhuntly, Kew, Malvern and Southbank.
  • 268 Authorised Officers and Customer Service Employees provide a visible staff presence from first to last tram ensuring passengers have a valid ticket and travel safely.

Fleet Enhancements

  • Yarra Trams is refreshing the livery of all trams in the fleet. This refresh gives the fleet a more modern look, as well as delivering safety enhancements such as bright yellow doors and visual indicators for priority seating.
  • Interior improvements include new seats, new passenger hand loops and the replacement of glass and decals. All of these improvements are designed to make travelling on trams a safer and more enjoyable way to get around Melbourne.
  • The entire tram fleet is in the process of being refreshed by Yarra Trams.
  • The older fleet is being upgraded to provide more state of the art customer information.
  • Maintenance and technical assistance is provided 24 hours a day.
  • 100 low floor trams have been introduced and the government has committed to rolling out a further 50 low floor trams as part of the Victorian Transport Plan. These will be introduced to the network from mid 2013.

Low floor trams

  • Yarra Trams introduced Citadis low floor trams to Melbourne in 2001, followed by the Combino in 2002.
  • In 2008, Yarra Trams arranged for the delivery of five additional low floor trams to address increasing tram patronage. These Bumblebee trams are being leased from the French town of Mulhouse under a joint initiative between Yarra Trams and the Victorian Government.
  • The Victorian Government has commissioned Dandenong based company Bombardier to produce 50 new low floor trams for the Melbourne tram network.
  • The new trams will be approximately 33 metres in length, able to carry more than 210 passengers, fitted with CCTV and be fully accessible.

tramTRACKER®

  • tramTRACKER® uses the latest real-time technology to track all trams so passengers can find out when the next tram is due to arrive at their stop. Customers can get real time tram information using tramTRACKER® on their iPhone, via SMS or online.
  • The number of requests to tramTRACKER® exceeds 800,000 a day, and the iPhone application is downloaded more than 20,000 a month.

Customer engagement

  • Meet the Managers: Yarra Trams is committed to involving passengers in its continuous improvement efforts. A key element of this customer engagement process is the 'Meet the Managers' forum. Meet the Managers gives tram passengers the opportunity to meet with senior executives such as the CEO and Chief Operating Officer and discuss ways they believe Yarra Trams could deliver an improved service. These events take place on some of Melbourne's busiest tram platform stops during peak times and are widely promoted prior to the events.
  • Tram Advisory Group: The Tram Advisory Group (TAG) was established to support Yarra Trams' objective to think like a passenger. TAG membership includes seven passenger representatives, four employees of Yarra Trams and is chaired by the CEO of Yarra Trams, Michel Masson. The TAG meets at least twice each year.
  • Passenger Information Displays (PIDs) are installed at the busiest stops around the city and provide real-time information about the expected arrival time of trams to that stop. Selected stops in the CBD also have audio buttons which provide real-time arrival information.

    Yarra Trams has established partnerships with some businesses and local councils to install PIDs in public places. Combined with tramTRACKER®, the PIDs help people to avoid wasting time waiting at a tram stop. If your organisation is interested in installing a PID, please contact Yarra Trams customer feedback.
  • Colour your day - As part of Yarra Trams' commitment to providing up to date and relevant passenger information, we have developed a dynamic coloured network map. The map details every tram route in an easy to follow colour, intermodal connectivity, zoning information, exciting landmarks and hospitals.
  • Beware the Rhino is a dynamic safety campaign developed in line with our "Zero Harm" policy to increase pedestrian awareness around trams. The Rhino campaign represents an ongoing dedication to reducing the number of incidents involving distracted pedestrians.