Foxton96
Melbourne SW6.866
Occasionally touching base with the Melbourne tram scene in hindsight of my some 18 years in Melbourne before returning to NZ in November 1996, a view of the Christmas tram now working the City Circle line in the Melbourne CBD captured by Mal Rowe at the Preston Workshops yard on 26/11/2015.
SW6.866 entered service in 1941 and has been the Advertising Christmas tram "Merry Christmas Melbourne" since Thursday, 26th November 2015.
LOADED ONLINE SURVEY SUGGESTS MELBOURNE W-CLASS TRAMS COULD BE SCRAPPED
Herald Sun, November 24, 2015
Melbourne's iconic W-class City Circle trams could be on track for the scrapheap.
The Herald Sun has obtained a Public Transport Victoria online survey filled with loaded statements and questions before quizzing punters on if they knew what a W-class trams was, how they felt about them, the impact they have on the network, how passengers would feel if they were taken off tracks and replaced with modern trams.
“W-class trams can have negative effects on the tram network, including slower operating speeds, longer boarding/alighting times, occupying space in depots essential to the operation of newer tram fleets,” one statement reads before asking those filling out the survey to agree or disagree with a range of statements about the tram.
Respondents were also asked to best describe the W-class trams and phrases provided were noisy, not worth upkeep costs, a burden on Melbourne’s roads and tram network, great for tourists but not Melburnians, outdated, cultural icon, should be retired to a museum and uniquely Melbourne.
Of the suggested phrases, eight were negative while only two were positive.
Passengers are offered a free ride around the City Circle loop and through the Docklands on the popular tourist tram — running on 12-minute intervals.
Its popularity with locals and visitors leads to about 3.3 million passenger trips each year.
Opposition Public Transport spokesman David Hodgett accused the government of “laying the groundwork” to remove the 15 trams from Melbourne’s network and consign them to “Daniel’s dustbin”.
“If Labor’s sneaky bid to remove W-class trams from Melbourne’s streets succeeds, tourists will have to travel to cities such as Bendigo, San Francisco and Seattle to experience an operating W-class tram,” Mr Hodgett said.
But PTV spokesman Nicholas White said there were no plans to remove W-class trams from service.
“While we are progressively modernising the tram network with new trams that have larger capacity, low-floors, and modern comforts such as air-conditioning, PTV is also committed to maintaining a heritage presence where possible, around Melbourne’s CBD,” he said.
He said the research was conducted in a bid to get passengers’ thoughts on trams to improve services and “to understand how people want iconic W-class trams to be used in the future”.
Many of the W-class trams have been left to rot in the Newport repair yard with missing lights, broken windows and graffiti covering many of the green and gold coloured trams.
A cash-splash of $8 million was allocated in 2011 to restore eight of the famous trams.
Three trams have been refurbished and a fourth is expected to begin trudging next year.
Melbourne SW6.866
Occasionally touching base with the Melbourne tram scene in hindsight of my some 18 years in Melbourne before returning to NZ in November 1996, a view of the Christmas tram now working the City Circle line in the Melbourne CBD captured by Mal Rowe at the Preston Workshops yard on 26/11/2015.
SW6.866 entered service in 1941 and has been the Advertising Christmas tram "Merry Christmas Melbourne" since Thursday, 26th November 2015.
LOADED ONLINE SURVEY SUGGESTS MELBOURNE W-CLASS TRAMS COULD BE SCRAPPED
Herald Sun, November 24, 2015
Melbourne's iconic W-class City Circle trams could be on track for the scrapheap.
The Herald Sun has obtained a Public Transport Victoria online survey filled with loaded statements and questions before quizzing punters on if they knew what a W-class trams was, how they felt about them, the impact they have on the network, how passengers would feel if they were taken off tracks and replaced with modern trams.
“W-class trams can have negative effects on the tram network, including slower operating speeds, longer boarding/alighting times, occupying space in depots essential to the operation of newer tram fleets,” one statement reads before asking those filling out the survey to agree or disagree with a range of statements about the tram.
Respondents were also asked to best describe the W-class trams and phrases provided were noisy, not worth upkeep costs, a burden on Melbourne’s roads and tram network, great for tourists but not Melburnians, outdated, cultural icon, should be retired to a museum and uniquely Melbourne.
Of the suggested phrases, eight were negative while only two were positive.
Passengers are offered a free ride around the City Circle loop and through the Docklands on the popular tourist tram — running on 12-minute intervals.
Its popularity with locals and visitors leads to about 3.3 million passenger trips each year.
Opposition Public Transport spokesman David Hodgett accused the government of “laying the groundwork” to remove the 15 trams from Melbourne’s network and consign them to “Daniel’s dustbin”.
“If Labor’s sneaky bid to remove W-class trams from Melbourne’s streets succeeds, tourists will have to travel to cities such as Bendigo, San Francisco and Seattle to experience an operating W-class tram,” Mr Hodgett said.
But PTV spokesman Nicholas White said there were no plans to remove W-class trams from service.
“While we are progressively modernising the tram network with new trams that have larger capacity, low-floors, and modern comforts such as air-conditioning, PTV is also committed to maintaining a heritage presence where possible, around Melbourne’s CBD,” he said.
He said the research was conducted in a bid to get passengers’ thoughts on trams to improve services and “to understand how people want iconic W-class trams to be used in the future”.
Many of the W-class trams have been left to rot in the Newport repair yard with missing lights, broken windows and graffiti covering many of the green and gold coloured trams.
A cash-splash of $8 million was allocated in 2011 to restore eight of the famous trams.
Three trams have been refurbished and a fourth is expected to begin trudging next year.