Melbourne tram route 48
Melbourne tram route 48 is operated by Yarra Trams on the Melbourne tram network. It operates from Balwyn North to Victoria Harbour Docklands. The 13.5 kilometre route is operated by A and C class trams from Kew depot.
History
Route 48 was first allocated to the line between North Balwyn and the City on 11 December 1938 with the opening of the North Balwyn extension. Prior to that point, services on the East Kew line were largely provided by route 40, which ran from East Kew to the City. Trams traditionally would usually terminate in the Lonsdale Street terminus on Spencer Street, but peak hour congestion at the terminus often meant that trams would often run through to La Trobe Street, or would truncate at the corner of Flinders and Spencer Streets. After the construction of a siding north of La Trobe Street, route 48 trams were extended to terminate there. However, it proved to be difficult for the siding to handle peak hour congestion along with route 75, so route 48 was amended to terminate at Flinders Street West from 17 February 2002. The line was extended to Harbour Esplanade Docklands on 4 April 2003. On 4 January 2005, route 48 was extended to Waterfront City along Harbour Esplanade and Docklands Drive, with the opening of the Docklands Drive tram extension. On 20 September 2009, route 48 was altered to run via Collins Street in lieu of Flinders Street, terminating at Victoria Harbour Docklands.The origins of route 48 lie in separate lines. The section between Flinders Street and Hawthorn Bridge dates back to Melbourne's first cable tram line to Richmond, which opened on 11 November 1885. It was electrified in stages, finally commencing electric operations on 4 December 1927. The section between Southern Cross Station and Spring Street opened on 2 October 1886 as the North Fitzroy line. It was electrified on 21 November 1929. These two lines are connected by a line that was built along Spring Street on 10 November 1993 as part of the City Circle tram line works. The section between Barkers Road and Cotham Road was built by the Prahran & Malvern Tramway Trust on 24 February 1915. The track between Cotham Road and Kew Cemetery opened later that year on 8 May, and then extended to Harp Road on 26 November. The MMTB opened Church Street line between Barkers Road and Hawthorn Bridge on 7 July 1923. An extension from Harp Road to Burke Road opened on 11 January 1925. The line between Burke Road and Bulleen Road opened on 13 June 1937, and the rest of the line to North Balwyn opened on 11 December 1938.
On 18 November 2002, a tram line was constructed to Collins Street West along the Collins Street extension. However, from 28 June 2004 until 21 November 2005, the line was truncated back to Spencer Street while Southern Cross railway station was redeveloped. It was extended further along the Collins Street extension to Victoria Harbour Docklands on 21 September 2009. It was extended a further 450 metres west to the corner of Collins and Bourke Streets from 26 January 2014, which is today's Victoria Harbour terminus.
Proposed extension
The Public Transport Users Association and Cities of Boroondara and Manningham have been lobbying for an extension of route 48 to Westfield Doncaster. It would require approximately 4.5 km of extra track, serving Greythorn Village and the Doncaster Park and Ride facility before terminating near Westfield Doncaster. The PTUA has also pointed out the future potential for the line to be extended further along Doncaster Road to Doncaster East and Donvale.Proponents have argued that it could serve as a cheaper, quicker and more efficient alternative to the long-proposed Doncaster railway line. However, supporters of the railway state that the tram already takes 50 minutes from one terminus to the other in the off-peak, and that the tram would take well over an hour to reach the city from Doncaster. It is therefore considered as a separate project to the heavy railway, that would serve a local access purpose.
In the lead up to the 2006 state election, the Ted Baillieu opposition promised the extension by July 2010, pricing it at $35 million. It was stated that there would have been about 2 accessible stops every kilometre, similar to the recent Box Hill tram extension. However the government was returned and the Baileu government did not commit to it in the 2010 election.
The City of Manningham commissioned a $60,000 study in 2007 to investigate the potential for the new line, arguing it was a needed alternative to overcrowded buses.
| Dates | Route | Notes |
| 11 December 1938 – 2 September 2001 | North Balwyn to City | via Bridge Road and Flinders Street |
| 3 September 2001 – 3 January 2005 | North Balwyn to City | via Bridge Road and Flinders Street |
| 4 January 2005 – 19 September 2009 | North Balwyn to Waterfront City Docklands | via Bridge Road and Flinders Street |
| 20 September 2009 – Present | North Balwyn to Victoria Harbour Docklands | via Bridge Road and Collins Street |