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Route 59
B class tram crosses the Flemington Road/Grattan Street intersection, September 2024
Overview
System	Melbourne
Operator	Yarra Trams
Depot	Essendon
Vehicle	Z class B class
Began service	16 May 1943
Route
Start	Airport West
Via	Niddrie Essendon Moonee Ponds Junction Ascot Vale Flemington North Melbourne Elizabeth Street
End	Flinders Street station
Length	14.7 kilometres
Timetable	Route 59 timetable
Map	Route 59 map
Route map {{{map}}} ← Route 58  {{{system_nav}}}  Route 64 →

Melbourne tram route 59 is a tram route on the Melbourne tramway network serving the city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. Operated by Yarra Trams, the route is coloured dark green and extends from Airport West to Flinders Street station over 14.7 kilometre of double track via Niddrie, Essendon, Moonee Ponds Junction, Ascot Vale, Flemington, North Melbourne and Elizabeth Street. It is serviced out of Essendon depot utilising Z and B class trams.

History

Route 59 was first allocated to the line between Essendon Aerodrome and the Elizabeth Street terminus on 16 May 1943, when the Essendon line was extended to the Essendon Airport. Prior to that, route 59 had been allocated to the Williamstown Road line on the Footscray system, but numbers were never really used since the single-truck trams that ran the line didn't have route number boxes. Trams from Essendon had always terminated at Elizabeth Street, though before the Brunswick cable tram line was converted in 1936, they instead terminated on William Street. During the years where Essendon airport was Melbourne's primary airport, airlines usually transported passengers to the airport for free, the tram to Essendon Aerodrome was usually only used by airport workers. Thus when Tullamarine Airport opened in 1970, the line became of little use, and along with the fact that the line dangerously crossed the Tullamarine Freeway at grade, it was decided to truncate the line to terminate at Hawker Street, Airport West on 7 October 1976. On 22 December 1992, the line was extended by 1.2 kilometres to Airport West Shopping Centre.

The origins of Route 59 lie in separate lines. The oldest section of the line is between Flinders Street station (Stop 1) and Haymarket (Stop 9) was originally constructed as part of the Brunswick cable tram line, which opened on 1 October 1887. This line was converted to electric traction on 29 December 1936. The section of track between Abbotsford Street (near Stop 20) and Flemington Bridge station (Stop 22) was also originally part of the cable network as the North Melbourne line, which was converted to electric traction on 19 July 1925. The line between Abbotsford Street and Haymarket was constructed and opened by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board on the same day. The section between Flemington Bridge and Keilor Road (near Stop 46) was originally opened by the North Melbourne Electric Tramway & Lighting Company on 11 October 1906. This line was extended to Gilles Street (near Stop 49) on 7 July 1923, and then again to Birdwood Street (near Stop 51) on 7 February 1937. The line to Hawker Street (Stop 57) opened on 16 May 1943 as part of the Essendon Aerodrome line. The rest of the line to Airport West opened on 22 December 1992.

G-class trams will roll out on the route in 2025.

Route Description

The route starts at the corner of Matthews Avenue and Rodd Road, Airport West and operates via Niddrie, Essendon, Moonee Ponds Junction, Ascot Vale, Flemington, North Melbourne and Elizabeth Street to terminate at Flinders Street station.

Operation

Route 59 is operated out of Essendon depot with B class trams. Occasionally, Z class trams are also used.

Route map

v t e Route 59
Airport West - Flinders Street station via Essendon, Flemington, Parkville & City Free tram zone covers stops 7 to 1, fare zone 1 applies from stop 59 to 9
Legend
Suburb Street Stop No. Airport West Connections Airport West Matthews Avenue 59 Airport West Airport West 58 Marshall Road 57 Hawker Street 56 Earl Street 55 Cameron Street Niddrie Matthews Avenue 54 Fullarton Street 53 Keilor Road   Keilor Road 53A Matthews Avenue 475, 476, 483, 501 52 Hoffmans Road Essendon Mount Alexander Road 51 Bradshaw Street 50 Cooper Street 49 Essendon North Primary School 48 Service Street 47 Mount Alexander Road   Mount Alexander Road 46 Lincoln Road 45 Leake Street 44 Thorn Street 903 43 Brewster Street 42 Shamrock Street Essendon station ●   Napier Street 41 Essendon station 465, 468, 475, 476 477, 501, 503   Fletcher Street 40 Nicholson Street 39 Hoddle Street 38 Pascoe Vale Road 503, 510   Pascoe Vale Road 37 Buckley Street Moonee Ponds Pascoe Vale Road 36 Salisbury Street 35 Queens Park 508 34 Moonee Valley Civic Centre Moonee Ponds Siding 32 Moonee Ponds Junction 82; Moonee Ponds Ascot Vale Road Tram 82     Footscray station   Mount Alexander Road 31 Montgomery Street 30 Ormond Road 504, 505 Ascot Vale Mount Alexander Road 29 Warwick Street 28 Middle Street Essendon tram depot 27 Essendon tram depot Flemington Mount Alexander Road 26 Wellington Street 25 Mount Alexander College 24 Mooltan Street 23 Flemington Community Centre Flemington Bridge station ● Parkville Flemington Road 22 Flemington Bridge station Racecourse Road Tram 57     West Maribyrnong 20 Melrose Street 57 Abbotsford Street Tram 57     Flinders Street station Royal Park Light Rail Tram 58 West Coburg   19 Royal Children's Hospital 57, 58 16 Hawker Street 15 Murphy Street 14 Royal Melbourne Hospital 401, 402, 403 Peel Street Tram 58     Toorak Royal Parade Tram 19 Coburg North   Melbourne CBD Elizabeth Street 9 Haymarket 58, 59; 546 Victoria Street Route 57 Swanston Street   Flinders Street station 7 Queen Victoria Market 57; 546 La Trobe Street Tram 30, City Circle Exhibition Street   Docklands Stadium Melbourne Central station ●●●●●●●●●●● 5 Melbourne Central station 30, City Circle; 684 3 Bourke Street Mall 86, 96; Lonsdale Street buses Bourke Street Tram 86, 96 Melbourne Museum   Southern Cross station 2 Collins Street 11, 12, 48, 109 Collins Street Tram 11, 12, 48, 109 St Vincent's Plaza   Southern Cross station 1 Flinders Street station 70, 75 City Circle ; 605 Flinders Street Tram 70, 75, City Circle Russell Street   Docklands Flinders Street station ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Suburb Street Stop No. Flinders Street station Connections
Note: Green denotes free tram zone

References

1. Tramway to the Essendon Aerodrome Truck & Bus Transportation February 1943 page 43
2. ^ "Gunzel". www.classicaustraliantv.com. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
3. New Essendon Airport Terminus Electric Traction November 1976 page 172
4. City Section Trolley Wire issue 176 December 1976 page 39
5. Melbourne Tram Extensions Transit Australia April 1993 page 75
6. Annual Report for year ended 30 June 1993 VicRoads
7. "Designs for Maidstone's new tram facility released - Community update – April 2023". Department of Transport and Planning. April 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
8. Essendon Depot Vicsig
9. Facts & figures Yarra Trams
10. Route 59 Yarra Trams

External links

Media related to Melbourne tram route 59 at Wikimedia Commons

• Tram routes in Melbourne
• Public transport routes in the City of Melbourne (LGA)
• Elizabeth Street, Melbourne
• 1943 establishments in Australia
• Transport in the City of Moonee Valley