Melbourne tram route 109

Melbourne tram route 109is operated byYarra Tramson theMelbourne tram networkfromBox HilltoPort Melbourne.The 19.3 kilometre route is operated out ofKew depotwithAandC class trams.

Route 109
C-Classtram C.3014 on MacArthur Street, September 2024
Overview
System	Melbourne
Operator	Yarra Trams
Depot	Kew
Vehicle	A class C class
Began service	19 December 1993
Predecessors	Route 42, 111
Night-time	Friday & Saturday
Route
Start	Box Hill
Via	Whitehorse Road Victoria Street Collins Street
End	Port Melbourne
Length	19.3 kilometres
Timetable	Route 109 timetable
Map	Route 109 map
Route map {{{map}}} ←Route 96 {{{system_nav}}} {{{next_line}}} →

History

The origins of route 109 lie in separate tram lines, acable tramfromSpencer Streetto theYarra River,a horse tram from the Yarra River toKew Cemetery,an electric line fromKew JunctiontoBox Hill(extended over the years), as well as thePort Melbourne railway line.

A cable line was opened by theMelbourne Tramway & Omnibus CompanyfromSpencer StreettoBrunswick StreetalongCollins Street,MacArthur Street, Gisborne Street and Victoria Parade on 2 October 1886, and extended to the west side of the Yarra River along Victoria Parade andVictoria Streeton 22 November 1886.A connecting horse tram was built from the east side of the Yarra River to Kew Cemetery, along Barkers Road, High Street South and High Street, opening on 28 December 1887.

ThePrahran & Malvern Tramways Trust(PMTT) opened a line from High Street toBurke Roadalong Cotham Road on 30 May 1913. On 1 November 1914 the PMTT received permission to convert the horse tram line to electric traction, and the new electric line was opened on 24 February 1915. The PMTT extended the Cotham Road line to Union Road,Mont AlbertalongWhitehorse Road,on 30 September 1916.

In 1929 theMelbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board(MMTB) started converting the Collins Street cable lines to electric traction, with the last cable tram running down Collins Street on 14 September 1929, and the first electric tram on 8 December 1929. At the same time the MMTB built a new electric line down the centre ofVictoria Paradeto replace the cable line, which opened on 15 September 1929.For the next six decades the Melbourne to Mont Albert tram was numbered 42, celebrated by a 1982 theatrical production,Storming Mont Albert by Tram,which was performed on a specially-chartered Route 42 tram from the Mont Albert terminus to the city and return.

On 21 December 1987, route 111 commenced running fromExhibition(Carlton Gardens) at Nicholson Street toPort MelbournealongBourke Street,Spencer Street and the formerPort Melbourne railway line,following the conversion of the railway (along with theSt Kilda line) to light rail.Thebroad gauge1,600 mm(5 ft 3 in) track was re-gauged tostandard gauge1,435 mm(4 ft8+1⁄2in) and theoverheadvoltage was reduced from 1500VDCto 600 V DC with light rail platforms built adjacent to or near the former stations platforms.

On 19 December 1993, routes 42 and 111 were combined as route 109.Route 42 continued to run as a peak-hour variant of route 109, and from 18 November 2002, the route deviated from route 109 and ran between Box Hill and the Collins Street West extension in Docklands.From 28 June 2004 until 21 November 2005, the route was truncated back to Spencer Street while Spencer Street station (nowSouthern Cross station) was redeveloped.It was extended further along the Collins Street extension toVictoria Harbour(Merchant Street) on 21 September 2009.At this point, the route ran one morning trip and three afternoon trips from Box Hill to Victoria Harbour and then back to Box Hill.Route 42 was last listed as an official route in late 2010 / early 2011 before it gradually disappeared without an official announcement.

WhenStation Pierwas refurbished in 1999, tram tracks were laid to allow for route 109 to be extended onto the pier, but have never been connected.

The line was extended from its original terminus at Mont Albert toBox HillalongWhitehorse Roadfor 2.2 kilometres on 2 May 2003.In January 2016, route 109 began operating through the night on Fridays and Saturdays as part of theNight Network.

Route

The Port Melbourne terminus, with thePort Melbourne railway stationbuilding in the foreground

Route 109 runs fromBox Hill,travelling west onWhitehorse Roadthrough the suburbs ofMont Albert,Surrey Hills,BalwynandDeepdene.EnteringKewatBurke Road,Whitehorse Road becomes Cotham Road. It continues west, through Kew Junction and then south west along High Street, High Street South and turns west into Barkers Road.

It crosses theYarra RiverintoVictoria Street,Richmondand continues west, atHoddle StreetVictoria Street becomes Victoria Parade, it passes throughSt Vincent's Plaza,passingSt Vincent's Hospital,theRoyal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospitaland turns south onto Gisborne Street, continues south west along MacArthur Street and turns west intoCollins Street,entering theCBD,passingMelbourne Town Halland City Square.

It turns south intoSpencer Street,passingSouthern Cross station,then crosses the Yarra River and entersSouthbankon Clarendon Street before traversing the suburbs ofSouth MelbourneandPort Melbourneon aright-of-wayusing the formerPort Melbourne railway lineand terminates atPort Melbourne railway stationnearStation Pier.

Operation

Route 109 is operated out ofKew depotwithAandC1class trams.For a period from 2002, some services were also operated bySouthbank depot.

Route map

Route 109
Box Hill-Port Melbourne viaMont Albert,City&Southbank Free tram zone covers stops 124 to 8,fare zone 1from stop 57 to 10, 124A to 129,fare zone 2from stop 57 to 47
Suburb Street Stop No. Box Hill Connections Box Hill Whitehorse Road 58 Box Hill Central Box Hill Box Hill station●● 57 Nelson Road 56 Elgar Road Mont Albert Whitehorse Road 55 Hood Street 54 Inglisby Road Surrey Hills Whitehorse Road 53 Union Road 284, 612 51 Narrak Road 50 Wharton Street Balwyn Whitehorse Road 49 Northcote Avenue 48 Balwyn Shopping Centre 47 Balwyn Road 285 Zone 1+2 Zone 1 46 Balwyn Cinema 45 Hardwicke Street Deepdene Whitehorse Road 44 Deepdene Park 43 Deepdene Shopping Centre 42 Burke Road 72;548 Burke Road Tram72 Melbourne University Kew Cotham Road 41 Kew Traffic School 40 St George's Hospital 548 39 Thomas Street 38 Marshall Avenue 37 Belmont Avenue 36 Glenferrie Road 16 Glenferrie Road Tram16 Melbourne University 35 Charles Street 609 34 High Street High Street Tram48 Balwyn North Kew High Street 33 Cotham Road 48 32 Kew Junction 200, 207, 609 31 Stevenson Street Church Street Tram48 Victoria Harbour Hawthorn Barkers Road 29 High Street 48 Kew tram depot 27 Findon Crescent Richmond Victoria Street 25 River Boulevard Victoria Gardens Siding 24 Victoria Gardens 12 23 Leslie Street 22 McKay Street 21 Church Street 78 Church Street Tram78 Balaclava 20 Lennox Street 19 North Richmond station North Richmond station●● East Melbourne Victoria Parade 18 Hoddle Street Hoddle Streetbuses 16 Wellington Street 15 Smith Street 13 Lansdowne Street St Vincent's Plaza Siding Brunswick Street Tram11 West Preston 12 St Vincent's Plaza Victoria Parade Tram30 La Trobe Street Gisborne Street 11 Albert Street Macarthur Street 10 Parliament station Parliament Station●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Spring Street Tram48,City Circle Wellington Parade Nicholson Street Melbourne CBD Collins Street 8 Spring Street 48,City Circle 7 101 Collins Street 605 Swanston Street Tram1,3,5,6,16,64,67,72 St Kilda Road Melbourne University 6 Town Hall 1,3,5,6,16,64,67,72 Elizabeth Street Tram19,57,59 Flinders Street station North Melbourne 5 Elizabeth Street 19,57,59 3 William Street 58;Queen Streetbuses William Street Tram58 Toorak West Coburg 1 Southern Cross station 11,48,96 Southern Cross station ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●●●● Spencer Street Tram96 Bourke Street Collins Street Tram11,48 Docklands Flinders Street Tram70,75,City Circle Wattle Park/Vermont South Docklands Flinders Street Viaduct Spencer Street 124 Batman Park Southbank Clarendon Street 124A Casino/MCEC 12 Clarendon Street Tram12 St Kilda(Fitzroy Street) Normanby Road 125 Clarendon Street Junction 96 St Kilda Light Rail Tram96 St Kilda Beach South Melbourne Normanby Road 125A Southbank tram depot Southbank tram depot 126 Montague Street Port Melbourne Station Street 127 North Port 128 Graham Street 129 Beacon Cove 236, PPC Suburb No. Stop Name(Road Name) Connections
Note: Green denotes free tram zone

Bus route

Whencruise shipsare berthed atStation Pier,Transit Systems Victoriaoperate a parallel bus service as route 109 between Station Pier and Queens Bridge St.

External links

• Media related toMelbourne tram route 109at Wikimedia Commons