The north of Merri-bek is poorly served by public transport. There has been lots of discussion about improving train and bus services, But what about extending tram lines? Trams are very popular in the south. An obvious extension is to tram route 58, which could service the gap between the Upfield and Craigieburn Lines.
Below we have reproduced a blogpost written by John Englart in 2018, but no longer available following John’s passing last year. Tram route 58 runs from Royal Park, along Grantham St / Dawson St and Melville Rd. Infrastructure Victoria has recommended that the route be extended to Batman Station. We have also reproduced Climate Action Merri-bek’s response to that proposal. At the end, we look at Council’s response.
Blogpost published by John Englart on Sustainable Fawkner on February 20, 2018
Is it time to extend West Coburg Tram route 58 to Hadfield?
Ever wondered why the West Coburg tram terminates at Melville Road and Bell Street intersection? This article in the Argus in 1944 explains that housing commission building needed to be kept within half a mile of the terminus, or the tram line should be extended up Turner and Derby streets.
Since the war there has been substantial housing development north of Bell street and we think it’s about bloody time the tram route 58 was extended to Hadfield to serve more people and increase public transport patronage and reduce transport emissions for people in Moreland’s northern suburbs.
According to Councillor Sue Bolton original tram route plans were to extend the tram line as far as Boundary Road in Hadfield.
Turner street and Derby Road were specifically widened by Coburg Council to provide room for the tram. It’s about time the State Government stepped up and extended this tram route.
NO EXTENSION OF WEST COBURG TRAM
Extension of the West Coburg tramline was not even contemplated, let alone in progress, Mr H. H. Bell, chairman of the Tramways Board, said yesterday, replying to a correspondent of THE ARGUS.
In January the board informed the utility services advisory selection committee of the Housing Commission, in connection with area five, north-west Coburg, that no extension of the West Coburg tram route which now terminates at the intersection of Melville and Bell streets would be necessary if the order of priority in building was kept in the vicinity of that terminus to within half a mile along Turner and Derby streets.
Should the main building operations extend beyond half a mile, however, an extension of the tramway along Turner and Derby sts as far as Essex st would be possible, provided Coburg Council made the necessary roads.
As in the case of West Preston such extensions could only be operated at a loss for a considerable time, and for that reason, Mr Bell said, he thought they should be constructed under municipal guarantee provisions of the Tramways Act, by which losses would be guaranteed by the council concerned for the first five years of operation. Coburg Council had been told this in 1939, also that even if it agreed to guarantee losses the extension could not be proceeded with till after the war.
The Argus, Thursday 21 September 1944 Page 3
Here is how the Melbourne Tram museum describes the terminus and provision for extension further north of Bell street:
North of Bell Street, it appears that Turner Street was only developed after tramway construction ceased in 1927. According to a long time resident, a reserved strip of land remained along the centre of Turner Street until the late 1950s/early 1960s – perhaps in the hope of a future tramway extension.
The southwest corner of Bell Street and Melville Road was a vacant block of land with a standard T intersection until the late 1950s. Children played on this grassed block while parents shopped. In the late 1950s, the land was developed with the curved roadway and shops as they are today.
Excerpt from CAM’s submission to Victoria’s Draft 30 year Infrastructure Strategy relating to tram route 58
The following was also written by John Englart.
“We don’t understand the rationale in the proposal to take the tram to Batman station, and this would minimise its population catchment. We think the No 58 tram line should be extended from its existing terminus at Bell Street, up Turner and Derby streets, then along Boundary Road. We note that there are generous verges for most of Boundary Road. From Pascoe Street there are a couple of route options to take the tram to Glenroy station for a terminus: West Street and Glenroy Road, or Rhodes Parade and Plumpton Avenue. The original tram route plans in the 1940s were to extend the tram line as far as Boundary Road in Hadfield. The advantage of extending the tram to Glenroy station, rather than Batman Station, is that it would provide public transport tram service to a much greater number of people in Pascoe Vale, Hadfield and Glenroy, and would enable more medium density infill developments along its route. It would connect schools and shopping activity centres (such as the West street shops) to Glenroy station and the city.”:
Merri-bek Council’s response to proposal for extension of tram route 58
At the May 2021 Council meeting there was a motion on “Public Transport Advocacy” which stated that Council
- Resolves to have a report back to council about how the following Public Transport projects listed in point 3 can be achieved including advocacy and other actions council can take to progress these projects.
- Seeks to work with the State Government, Federal Government, Local MPs, neighbouring municipalities and other partners to progress these projects.
- Includes the following projects in the report:
a) Duplication of the upfield railway line to improve frequency of trains and future extension of the line.
b) Extension of the 19 Tram line to at least Anderson Road in Fawkner and to Camp Road, Campbellfield to provide a link with suburban rail and better transport options for residents in the north of Melbourne.
c) Extension of the No 58 tram route past Bell street along Turner and Derby street.
d) Better East-West bus connections and frequency of buses.
However, Merri-bek Council has dropped tram route extensions from its advocacy priorities for the 2026 state election. Perhaps we need to get this back on their agenda.