Ten tram stops across Melbourne’s major tram routes will be upgraded to become fully accessible after a $19 million upgrade.
The Labor Government will start works over the coming months to upgrade the tram stops to improve access to major hospital, education and tourist destinations and connections to other modes of public transport.
From September 2018, six tram stops along Route 96 on Nicholson Street will be accessible following the upgrade.
Victorian Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan, said, “We’re working hard to upgrade Melbourne’s tram network to make it more accessible for all Victorians.
“There are 163 low-floor trams and more than 420 raised stops on the network and we will continue to introduce new trams and stops to make our network more accessible.”
With all trams on Route 96 being low floor, new centre island platform stops between Victoria Parade and Kerr Street will give passengers with wheelchairs and mobility aids, easier connections to St Vincent’s Hospital.
Tram stops opposite the Melbourne Museum and Royal Exhibition Building will be upgraded to enable all passengers to move between the tram stop and Carlton Gardens safely and easily.
From mid-2019, access to the Parkville Hospital precinct will improve, with accessible stops being introduced near the corner of William Street and La Trobe Street to create simpler connections between the tram and train network at Flagstaff station.
Stops will also be upgraded near the corner of William Street and Bourke Street, better connecting passengers with other low floor trams on Routes 86 and 96.
In the City of Port Phillip, major works are underway to upgrade the stop on Carlisle Street at Balaclava Station with kerbside access, improving connection to the station for passengers on Routes 3, 3A and 16.
Students and staff at RMIT in Bundoora will enjoy an improved connection to public transport after the university stop on Route 86 is upgraded over the coming months, which will also benefit those travelling to the University Hill shopping precinct.
The upgrades go hand in hand with the ongoing roll out of 80 E-Class trams – the biggest and most accessible on the network.
63 E-Class trams are already running on the network, which have provided more room for passengers on Melbourne’s busy network with a further 17 being built in Melbourne.
More than 420 tram stops across the network are now raised or accessible stops.
