Glenelg Tram

TransAdelaideRailLine
line_name=Glenelg Tram
colour=#ff0000

---

start=City West, Adelaide
terminus=Moseley Square, Glenelg
majorstops=Adelaide Railway Station
Rundle Mall
Victoria Square
South Terrace
South Road
Marion Road
Morphett Road
Brighton Road
length=12.3
track=Double Track
peakfreq=Every 5-10 Mins
weekdayfreq=Every 15 Mins
weekendfreq=Every 15 Mins
nightfreq=Every 20 Mins
2000-class=No
3000-class=No
flexity-classic=Yes
opened=1873
re-sleepered=2005
electrified=1929
closed=N/A The Glenelg Tram is a convert|12.3|km|mi|1 route from the centre of Adelaide, South Australia to the beach-side suburb of Glenelg. It is Adelaide's only remaining tramway, running at approximately 15-minute intervals, and is part of the integrated Adelaide Metro public transport network. The service is free between North and South Terraces in the City, and along the entire length of Jetty Road in Glenelg. Apart from short street-running sections in Adelaide city centre and Glenelg, the Glenelg route is in a private reservation, providing a fast and reliable service with minimal interference from road traffic.

1929-vintage H-class cars provided all services on the Glenelg line, until January 2006 when the first members of a new fleet of modern Flexity Classic trams entered service. Eleven 30m-long articulated low-floor Light Rail vehicles, built by Bombardier in Germany now operate the service.

Construction of a convert|1.6|km|mi|1 extension from Victoria Square, along King William Street and North Terrace started in April 2007. The extension opened to the public on 14 October 2007. Further extensions are the subject of a government feasibility study. A new bridge over South Road to replace the existing crossing has also been announced. There are plans to extend the tramway even further to Port Adelaide, Semaphore, Woodville and West Lakes

History

Inception

The route was built in 1873 by a private company, the Adelaide, Glenelg & Suburban Railway Company Ltd. The original line had a very different character to today’s route.
* It was built to the 5 ft 3 in (1600 mm) broad gauge (today’s tram is 4 ft 8½ in, 1435 mm).
* It was operated by steam locomotives ["The 'Eureka' Steam Motor of South Australia" Eardley, Gifford Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, February, 1974 pp27-29] , not electric trams.
* Most of the localities between Glenelg and Adelaide were sparsely settled and undeveloped. The line ran through open paddocks and market gardens.
* The line was largely single track.
* It crossed the Main South Line at Goodwood by a flat crossing, not an overpass.
* There were fewer stopping points and these were more like conventional railway stations.
* The trains did not operate on anything like the frequency of today’s trams, and a timetable was certainly advisable when planning a journey.

In December 1899 the private company was acquired by the state government-controlled South Australian Railways, who continued to operate the line as a steam railway for the next 30 years or so. In 1914, the railway’s terminus was cut back from the edge of Victoria Square (in the centre of Adelaide) to South Terrace on the city’s southern fringe. Passengers had to transfer to electric trams to complete their journey into the city.

Municipal Tramways Trust

In 1929 ownership and operation transferred from the SAR to Adelaide’s Municipal Tramways Trust (MTT). Steam trains ceased on 2 April 1929 and the line was closed to be rebuilt to standard gauge, electrified at 600 V dc and converted to tramway operation. The Goodwood flyover was constructed at this time, separating the new tram tracks from the conventional railway.

Thirty H-class trams were built for the line by a local manufacturer, A. Pengelley, along the lines of North American interurban cars of that era. The line re-opened on 14 December 1929, with the city terminus reverting to Victoria Square.

There were one or two quirks in the earlier years, the most famous being the “horse trams” operated in the 1930s. These were trams specially constructed to carry race horses from stables located along the line to the racecourse at Morphettville. This service was a carry-over from the days of the steam railway, which had also performed this function. Another unusual feature was operation of triple sets of H-class trams in peak hours, and express trams that ran non-stop over a significant portion of the route (one express service remains in 2006).

The line was the only route to survive the closure of Adelaide’s street tramway network during the 1950s, saved largely by its high proportion of reserved track, which ensures a fast journey for passengers and minimal interference from road traffic.

The H-class cars have been progressively updated during the 1970s, again in the late 1980s and most recently (on five trams) in 2000. These included toughened safety glass in windows, replacing wooden panels with fibreglass, upgrading bogies, fluorescent lights inside the cars, and sealed-beam headlights and brake/hazard lamp clusters outside.

In 1986 the line was converted from trolley pole to pantograph operation. This change coincided with relocation of the tram depot from Angas Street in central Adelaide to a new facility at Glengowrie, close to Glenelg.

Despite the various refurbishments and upgrades the overall character of the H-class trams has stayed very much as they were built. The interiors are still varnished wood and glass etched with MTT logos, and with no heating or air conditioning. All services are crew operated, with a driver and conductor on single cars, or a driver and two conductors on two-car sets.

2007 Tram Extension to City West

References

* [http://www.freewebs.com/bay_tram/index1.html Bay Tram Twilight.]
* [http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/guides/glenelg2.html Glenelg Tram] (Adelaide Metro)
* [http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/guides/new_tram.html New Tram] (Adelaide Metro)
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/slieschke/3141009/in/pool-36521966562@N01/ Simon Lieschke's Tram Depictions]
* [http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200504/s1339790.htm ABC Online]
* [http://www.railpage.org.au/tram/adel-h.html Type H Trams]
* [http://www.billdcentral.com/ Bill's Glenelg Tram Pages]