Melbourne’s trams will begin operating according to a new timetable next month, with extra off-peak services to be created and more frequent weekend services on two busy routes.
The changes, including extra St. Kilda Road services, will in introduced on May 20.
While parts of St. Kilda Road between Kings Way and Dorcas Street have been reduced to one lane for motorists to enable construction of the Metro Tunnel project’s new Anzac Station, trams services along the road are to remain, and in some instances, increased.
Extra weekday services will be added on Routes 1, 3, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67 and 72 – all of which run along St. Kilda Road.
“By adding extra services on the most popular tram corridor in the world along St Kilda Road, we’re giving people more options,” state transport minister Jacinta Allan said.
“At the same time, we’re getting on with building the new Anzac station and as part of the Metro Tunnel project to deliver the frequent, reliable, turn-up-and-go transport system passengers need.”
Routes 19, 57, 58 and 59 will also receive extra off-peak weekday services.
Route 58 weekend services between 10:00am and 7:00pm will be increased to “turn-up-and-go” frequency – that is, trams will arrive at stops every 10 minutes.
On Sundays, Route 86 between Docklands and the RMIT campus in Bundoora will also improve to turn-up-and-go frequency.
Worst service on the trams is Route 86 and Route 11, both operated from it appears, the most inefficient depot in Melbourne – Preston.