Melbourne tram route 3
Melbourne tram route 3 is operated by Yarra Trams on the Melbourne tram network. It operates from Melbourne University on Swanston Street to the corner of Waverley Road and Darling Road at Malvern East. The 14.9 kilometre route is operated by Z, A and B2 class trams from Glenhuntly depot. On weekends route 3 operates as route 3a and diverts via St Kilda.
History
Route 3 was allocated to the line between the City to East Malvern on 1 November 1970 following a major route number revision for trams running on Swanston Street. Prior to this, the line was run by Route 4D, an allocation that dates back to 1930. Trams traditionally terminated at the Victoria St terminus, but following an accident in 1991, trams instead terminated at the Queensberry St crossover. Due to congestion during peak hours at the crossover, some trams continued north to Melbourne University. Finally on 17 January 1996, a permanent shunt was built at Melbourne University. From then on, Route 3 trams were altered run full-time to Melbourne University.The origins of route 3 lie in separate tram lines. The section of track between Queensberry Street and Brighton Road is the oldest section of this route, dating back to the Brighton Road cable tram which opened on 11 October 1888 by the Melbourne Tramway & Omnibus Company. This cable tram line was electrified in stages by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board. The section between Domain Interchange and St Kilda Junction was electrified on 27 December 1925. The section between Queensberry Street and City Road was electrified on the same day. The line between City Road and Domain Interchange was electrified on 24 January 1926, and the line between St Kilda Junction and Carlisle Street was finally electrified on 29 August 1926.
The section of Route 3 between Brighton Road and East Malvern was constructed by the Prahran & Malvern Tramways Trust. Initially, a line was opened from St Kilda Beach to Hawthorn Road along Carlisle Street/Balaclava Road on 12 April 1913. This line was extended east by the PMTT from Hawthorn Road to Darling Road, Malvern East on 13 November 1913. Meanwhile, the Melbourne, Brunswick & Coburg Tramways Trust constructed the section of Route 3 north of Queensberry Street towards Melbourne University. This section opened on 31 October 1916.
On 12 November 1961, trams operating on Route 3 on Sunday were replaced by bus route 377 to save operating costs. Sunday trams were reinstated on 8 August 1993 following the abolition of conductors.
During the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the route was renumbered 53 and extended to West Coburg during peak hour and the Dudley Street sidings during off peak, from Domain Interchange, along route 55 to alleviate congestion along St Kilda Road.
On 31 January 2009, route 3 was altered on the weekends to form route 3a, diverting from the regular route at St Kilda Junction and travelling via Fitzroy Street, The Esplanade and Carlisle Street to rejoin the regular route at the corner of St Kilda Road and Carlisle Street. This was to alleviate overcrowding on route 16.
| Dates | Route | Notes |
| During PMTT operation | St Kilda Road to Malvern tram depot | |
| 1 November 1970 - 15 April 1991 | City to East Malvern | Prior to that ran as Route 4D |
| 15 April 1991 - 16 January 1996 | City to East Malvern | Some services terminated at Melbourne University |
| 17 January 1996 - onwards | Melbourne University to East Malvern |