The City Circle (Melbourne tram route 35) is a zero-fare tram running around the Melbourne central business district in Australia. Running along the city centre's outermost thoroughfares the route passes many Melbourne attractions including Parliament House, the Old Treasury Building and the developing Docklands waterfront precinct. Since October 2023, it operates in a clockwise direction only.

Route 35 (City Circle)
W class tram W8.961 crosses the Spring Street, Collins Street and MacArthur Street intersection, September 2024
Overview
SystemMelbourne tramway network
OperatorYarra Trams
DepotSouthbank
VehicleW class
Began service29 April 1994
Route
StartWaterfront City
ViaHarbour Esplanade
La Trobe Street
Nicholson Street
Spring Street
Flinders Street
Harbour Esplanade
EndWaterfront City
Zone(s)Free Tram Zone
TimetableCity Circle timetable
MapCity Circle map
← Route 30  {{{system_nav}}}  Route 48 →

History

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City Circle trams on La Trobe Street in August 2007

The tram route was introduced on 29 April 1994,[1][2] requiring a small track extension along Spring Street, between Collins and Flinders Streets, to enable a complete CBD loop to be formed.[3][4] The Federal Government's Building Better Cities program funded the $6.4 million capital cost of the track expansion, while the State Government funded the running costs.[5]

Until January 2003, the western leg of the original route of the tram was down Spencer Street, but the route was then extended west to run through Harbour Esplanade, Docklands.[6][7][8][9] The travel time around the circle before this change was 40 minutes.[10]

Between May and November 2005, the route temporarily ran between Flinders Street / Spencer Street and Victoria Parade / Nicholson Street due to the closure and removal of the Flinders Street Overpass over King Street.[11][12]

During early 2006, new Passenger Information Displays were installed along with Digital Voice Announcements.

In April 2008, the service adopted the daylight saving timetable on a permanent basis, operating from 10:00 to 21:00 every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The end of service at other times is 18:00.[13]

On 30 May 2009, the route was altered for a second time, being extended from Harbour Esplanade to the NewQuay and Waterfront City precincts via Docklands Drive. This made the route an elongated 'q'.[14][15]

Services after 18:00 between Thursday and Sunday were removed in November 2020.[16]

Due to driver shortages, the route's operator, Yarra Trams, has found it hard to run all City Circle tram services. Due to this, since 30 October 2023, the route only runs in a clockwise direction between 9:30 and 17:30 daily.[17][18]

Route

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Interior of a W class tram in City Circle service
 
W class tram on Flinders Street in August 2008

The route of the City Circle trams roughly follows the outer edges of the Hoddle Grid, with three diversions. It takes in all of La Trobe Street, Harbour Esplanade and Flinders Street. It follows Spring Street between Flinders and Bourke Streets, but travels along Nicholson Street and Victoria Street before turning into La Trobe Street. At the junction of Harbour Esplanade and Latrobe Street trams turn off the loop to run to and from a terminus towards the end of Docklands Drive, Waterfront City.

Operation

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The City Circle route is operated with heritage W class trams, restored to original condition as part of the W8 upgrade. As of 2020, these are the only W-class trams on the system, and there are no plans to retire them. The City Circle trams originally sported a unique maroon livery promoting the service, however as part of the W8 upgrade the trams were restored back to their original green and cream livery. Until 2014, the City Circle was one of several routes to run W-class trams (30, 78 and 79) but the remaining routes controversially had their W-class trams removed, mostly replaced by A class. Trams display the route number 35.[19][20] The City Circle operates at a headway of 12 minutes in the clockwise direction, with the service taking approximately 60 minutes to complete a loop. An average of three million passengers use the service every year, with each tram circling the city 9 times a day, or 12 times when the tram operates to 21:00.[13]

Route map

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City Circle Tram
City Circle
via Docklands, La Trobe Street & Flinders Street
Free tram zone covers entire route
Suburb
Street
Stop
No.
Waterfront City
Connections
Docklands
Docklands Drive
D11
 
 
 
The District Docklands
D10
 
NewQuay
 
 
Footscray Road Siding
D2
 
Central Pier
 
 
Harbour Esplanade
Tram 70, 75
D1
 
Docklands Stadium
 
 
 
La Trobe Street Bridge
119
 
 
 
Spencer Street
 
 
 
Spencer Street
Tram 86
 
   Bourke Street
1
 
Spencer Street
2
 
King Street
 
 
 
William Street
Tram 58
 
  Flagstaff station
3
 
Flagstaff station
4
 
Queen Street
 
 
 
Elizabeth Street
Tram 19, 57, 59
5
 
Melbourne Central station
 
  Melbourne Central station
 
 
 
Swanston Street
Tram 1, 3, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67, 72
6
 
Melbourne Central station
  1, 3, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67, 72
7
 
Russell Street
8
 
Exhibition Street
9
 
Victoria Street
 
 
 
 
La Trobe Street
Nicholson Street
Tram 30
Tram 86, 96
11
 
Victoria Parade
10
 
Parliament station
 
 
 
 
  Parliament station
 
 
Bourke Street
Tram 86, 96
 
  Bourke Street Mall
CC
 
Bourke Street
 
 
 
Collins Street
Tram 11, 12, 48, 109
 
 
Wellington Parade
Tram 48, 75
8
 
Spring Street
 
 
Batman Avenue
Tram 70
 
 Wattle Park  
6
 
Russell Street
  70   605
 
 
 
Swanston Street
Tram 1, 3, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67, 72
5
 
Flinders Street station
  1, 3, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67, 72
 
  Flinders Street station
 
 
 
Elizabeth Street
Tram 19, 57, 59
4
 
Flinders Street station
3
 
Market Street
 
 
 
Market Street
Tram 58
2
 
King Street
1
 
Spencer Street
 
 
 
Spencer Street
Tram 12, 96, 109
 
 
 
Flinders Street Viaduct
D6
 
 
 
Flinders Street West
  232, 235, 237
 
McCrae Street
D5
 
The Goods Shed
D4
 
Docklands Park
 
 
 
Collins Street
Tram 11, 48
D3
 
Docklands Stadium
 
 
La Trobe Street
Tram 30, 86
D2
 
Central Pier
 
 
Footscray Road Siding
 
Docklands Drive
D10
 
NewQuay
D11
 
The District Docklands
Suburb
Street
Stop
No.
Waterfront City
Connections

References

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  1. ^ City Circle Opens Trolley Wire issue 258 August 1994 pages 16–22
  2. ^ Public transport – City Loop history [dead link]
  3. ^ Melbourne Track and Overhead Work Trolley Wire issue 256 February 1994 page 26
  4. ^ Lyndsay Neilson (2008). Butcher, John (ed.). Getting implementation going. epress.anu.edu.au. doi:10.22459/AUC.04.2008. ISBN 9781921313776. Retrieved 1 November 2010. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  5. ^ Lyndsay Neilson (2008). Butcher, John (ed.). Appendix 1: Funding Allocation, Victorian Area Strategies. epress.anu.edu.au. doi:10.22459/AUC.04.2008. ISBN 9781921313776. Retrieved 1 November 2010. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  6. ^ City Circle trams route change Trolley Wire issue 292 February 2003 page 27
  7. ^ "New Docklands Tram Line". Newsrail. Vol. 31, no. 3. Vic: ARHS Victoria Division. March 2003. p. 94. ISSN 0310-7477. OCLC 19676396.
  8. ^ "City Circle Tram now extends to the Docklands Precinct". Victrip. 26 January 2003. Archived from the original on 15 April 2003.
  9. ^ History of Melbourne Trams Routes from 1950 to 2009 Yarra Trams
  10. ^ "City Circle Tram Extended to Melbourne's Waterfront at Docklands". Minister for Major Projects, Minister for Public Transport. 23 January 2003. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
  11. ^ "Flinders Street Overpass Removal". Yara Trams. 20 May 2005. Archived from the original on 23 August 2006.
  12. ^ "Routes 13, 24, 30, 48, 70, 75, 86, 109, 112 & City Circle - From Monday 21 November 05". 14 November 2005. Archived from the original on 20 August 2006.
  13. ^ a b "City Circle Tram to Run When the Sun goes Down". Premier of Victoria. 6 April 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
  14. ^ Yarra Trams (1 May 2009). "Media Release: Popular City Circle tram extended to Docklands Drive". www.yarratrams.com.au. Archived from the original on 25 September 2009. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  15. ^ Tram changes Railway Digest August 2009 page 14
  16. ^ to Routes 12, 30, 35, 86, 96 and 109 Public Transport Victoria
  17. ^ "Tram timetable changes". PTV. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  18. ^ Hatch, Patrick (21 September 2023). "St Kilda, City Circle heritage trams cut in timetable overhaul". The Age. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  19. ^ Melbourne – Trams Trolley Wire issue 257 May 1994 page 8
  20. ^ Route 35 Public Transport Victoria
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