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Introducing the City Circle Sleigh

Yarra Trams is a proud partner with the City of Melbourne in bringing a festive flavour to the famous City Circle Tram.

From Friday 2 December 2011, the special City Circle Sleigh is scheduled to run on the City Circle every day up to and including Christmas Eve and return on Boxing Day. It will stay in service until 7 January 2012.

Just like a Christmas present, the tram has been wrapped in blue, red and gold, complete with stars and lights.

The tramsformation from City Circle Tram to City Circle Sleigh took place at the Yarra Trams Preston Workshops.

The design was printed on vinyl and applied to the W Class tram by a team of specialist craftsmen who followed up with hand painted details.

Then the electricians fitted the festoon lighting, similar to that seen on the restaurant trams, along with more than 5600 tiny LED lights.

The tram will be a key feature in what promises to be the City of Melbourne's best Christmas campaign yet.

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said: "What better way to share in the Christmas spirit than on the iconic City Circle Tram. There will be plenty to do and see in Melbourne this December and people are encouraged to take the City Circle Tram and see the beautiful decorations throughout the city."

The City Circle tram is one of Melbourne's most famous tourist attractions, offering visitors a free tour of the sights of the city and Docklands on board one of our much loved heritage trams.

Operated by Yarra Trams on behalf of the State Government, the City Circle Tram was established in 1994.

It operates Sunday to Wednesday 10am to 6pm and Thursday to Saturday 10am to 9pm (except Christmas Day and Good Friday).

About the City Circle Tram

Each tram does nine laps of the City Circle route (Sunday to Wednesday) and 12 laps (Thursday to Saturday)
The City Circle loop is 7.4 kilometres and takes one hour
On average, the City Circle Trams carry 275,000 passengers every month (3.3 million people a year)
67% of the passengers are from outside the Melbourne metropolitan area
63% of City Circle Tram passengers took their ride in the first three days of their visit to Melbourne
36% of passengers stay on for the full circuit while 64% ride part of the circuit
52% plan to use other Yarra Trams services during their visit to Melbourne

About tram 925

Tram 925 is a W Class (SW6) built at Preston Workshops
It entered service in December 1946
In August 2001 it was wrapped in gold to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the discovery of gold in Victoria
In 2004 it was painted red to serve as a Christmas tram
December 2011 - tramsformed into the City Circle Sleigh - fitted with 76 light globes (festoon lighting) and 5677 LED lights

Introducing the City Circle Sleigh 2