Victoria Square tram stop (Adelaide, SA)

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The Glenelg Tram is a tram service operating a 10.8 km (6.7 mile) route from the centre of Adelaide, South Australia to the beach-side suburb of Glenelg. It runs along Adelaide's only remaining tramway at approximately fifteen-minute intervals, and is part of the integrated Adelaide Metro public transport network.

The last significant expansion of the tram system in Adelaide was in the 1920s, and all routes except this remaining line were removed in the 1950s. Apart from short street running sections in Adelaide city centre and Glenelg, most of the Glenelg route is in a private reservation. This means the line can offer a fast and reliable service to commuters and tourists with minimal interference to the flow of road traffic.

Up until January 2006, the original 1929-vintage H-class cars have provided all services on the Glenelg line. These trams were built for the electrification of the Glenelg line and have many of the characteristics of American "interurban" cars of the same period.

The H-class are the longest rigid-body trams remaining in service, and the second-longest ever built. They travel in pairs during peak times, and with the retirement of the W2 trams from Melbourne's network are the oldest passenger trams in service in Australia.

In January 2006 the first members of a new fleet of modern trams entered public service on the Glenelg line. Eleven 30.0m-long articulated, low floor Flexity Classic Light Rail vehicles, built by Bombardier in Germany, will replace the H-class trams in regular day-to-day service by late 2006. In the interim period, the new Flexitys and the old H-class trams are working side-by-side to provide the daily tram service.

When delivery of the new Flexity fleet is complete, five refurbished examples of the original H-class will be retained for limited tourist and heritage services at weekends and on public holidays. These refurbished trams have been fitted with safety measures similar to those of the new trams including vigilance control and electro-magnetic track brakes.

A 1.2km extension of the Glenelg tram line from Victoria Square, along King William St to the Adelaide railway station is planned, with construction scheduled to start in September 2006. Further extensions are the subject of a government feasibility study.

History
The rail route now used by the Glenelg tram 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. For example:

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, 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 Glenelg line as a steam railway for the next 30 years or so.

In 1914, the steam 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. Most passengers then had to transfer to electric trams to complete their journey into the city.

The biggest, most dramatic changes to the route’s operation came about during 1929.

In this year, ownership and operation of the Glenelg line was 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 the standard gauge, electrified at 600 V dc and converted to tramway operation. The Goodwood flyover was constructed at this time, completely separating the new tram tracks from the conventional railway.

Thirty new trams — the H-class — were built specially for the line by a local manufacturer, A. Pengelley, along the lines of North American interurban cars of that era.

The Glenelg line re-opened on 14 December 1929, with the city terminus reverting to the more convenient Victoria Square.

The Glenelg line and its H-class trams then settled down to 75 years of quietly efficient operation.

There were one or two quirks in the earlier years, the most famous being the “horse trams” operated in the 1930s. These were specially constructed trams, built 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 the peak hours, and a number of express trams which ran non-stop over a significant portion of the route (one express service remains in 2006).

The Glenelg 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 with other road traffic.

Several refurbishments have occurred over the years. The H-class cars have been progressively updated during the 1970s, then again in the late 1980’s and most recently (on five trams) in 2000. These programmes involved — for example — fitting of toughened safety glass in windows, replacing wooden panels with fibreglass, upgrading bogies and fitting fluorescent lights inside the cars and up-to-date sealed beam headlights and brake/hazard lamp clusters outside.

In 1986 the overhead and H-class trams were 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.

The most recent upgrade in 2000 has provided the five H-class cars which will be retained for special services after new Light Rail Vehicles are introduced in 2006.

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 there is 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 double car sets.


The future

Glenelg Tram upgrade milestones
May 2003 South Australian Government announced the planned upgrade of the Glenelg line infrastructure and the introduction of new trams.
21 September 2004 S.A. Government announced the contract for delivery of 9 new Flexity Classics had been awarded to Bombardier.

6 April 2005 S.A. Government announced a 1.2km extension of the tramline from Victoria Square along King William St. to the Adelaide railway station. An additional two trams were ordered (a total of eleven) to cater for services on the city centre extension.

18 May 2005 S.A. Government announced a feasibility study would be conducted on further extending the tramline past Adelaide Oval to terminate in North Adelaide.

5 June 2005 to
7 August 2005 Glenelg tram service was temporarily suspended and a substitute bus service introduced. Concrete sleepers were installed and much of the track renewed in an intensive nine week project. Most of the 21 tram stops were reconstructed with higher level platforms to allow level access to the new low floor trams. The overhead electrical supply was upgraded and some minor modifications were made to the H-class cars and Glengowrie depot.

When the tram service resumed on 8 August 2005, services were still operated by H-class trams (no Flexitys had been delivered at this stage).

September 2005 The tram terminus in Moseley Square, Glenelg was reconfigured, as part of a general redevelopment of the civic square.

22 November 2005 The first new Flexity tram (number 101) arrived at the Glengowrie depot.

9 January 2006 Following a period of commissioning and staff training, the first two Flexity trams (nos. 101 and 102) entered public service.