Trams in Adelaide

Until 1958, Trams in Adelaide formed a network spanning most of suburban Adelaide, with a history dating back to 1878. Adelaide ran horse trams from 1878 to 1914 and electric trams from 1909, but has primarily relied on buses for public transport since 1958. Today there is a single remaining tram line with two classes of electric tram, built in 1929 and 2006, respectively. The tram line connects the central business district of Adelaide, capital of South Australia, to the seaside suburb of Glenelg. Electric trams and trolleybuses were Adelaide's main public transport throughout the life of the electric tram network and are enjoying a resurgence with the expansion of the remaining line and the first new tram purchases for more than 50 years.

The early use of trams was for recreation as well as daily travel, by entire families and tourists. Until the 1950s, trams were used for family outings to the extent that the Municipal Tramways Trust (MTT) constructed gardens in the suburb of Kensington Gardens, extending the Kensington line to attract customers. By 1945 the MTT was collecting fares for 95 million trips annually—295 trips per head of population.

After the Great Depression, the maintenance of the tramway system and the purchase of new trams suffered. Competition from private buses, the MTT's own bus fleet and the growth of private car ownership all took patrons from the tram network. By the 1950s, the tram network was losing money and being replaced by an electric and petrol-driven bus fleet. Adelaide's tram history is preserved by a volunteer run museum and tramway at St Kilda, and the continuing use of 1929 H Class trams on the remaining Glenelg tram line.

Horse trams

In early 1855, less than twenty years after the colony was founded, South Australia's first horse tram began operating between Goolwa and Port Elliot on the Fleurieu Peninsula.The Critic (1909), p.6] Just over twenty years later Adelaide became the first city in Australia to introduce horse trams, and eventually the last to discard them for more modern public transport. Although two trials of street level trains were run, the state of Adelaide's streets, with mud in winter and dust in summer, lead to the decision that they would not be reliable. [Kingsborough L.S. (1965), p.2] Sir Edwin T. Smith and W. C. Buik, the latter formerly mayor of Kensington and Norwood, spent some time inspecting European tramways during the 1870s. They were impressed with horse tram systems and, on returning to Adelaide, they promoted the concept leading to a prospectus being issued for the Adelaide and Suburban Tramway Co. (A&ST). Private commercial interests lobbied government for legislative support, over Adelaide council's objections related to licensing and control. As a result the Government of South Australia passed an 1876 private act, authorising construction of Adelaide's first horse tram network. [Radcliffe, I.C. (1974), p.23] It was scheduled for completion within two years, with convert|10.8|mi|km|1 of lines from Adelaide's city-centre to the suburbs of Kensington and North Adelaide. [The Critic (1909), p.7] Completed in May 1878,Lewis H. (1985), p.139] services began in June from Adelaide to Kensington Park with trams imported from John Stephenson Co. of New York, United States. [Hickey A. (2004), p.16]

Until 1907 all horse tram operations were by private companies, with the government passing legislation authorising line construction. Growth of the network and rolling stock was driven largely by commercial considerations. On the opening day, the newly founded Adelaide and Suburban Tramway Co. (A&ST) began with six trams, expanding to 90 trams and 650 horses by 1907 with its own tram manufacturing facility at Kensington.Steele C. (1981), p.11] A Private act, passed in September 1881, allowed the construction of more private horse tramways and additional acts were passed authorising more line construction and services by more companies.The Critic (1909), p.8] Most of the companies operated double decker trams, although some were single level cabs with many built by John Stephenson Co., Duncan and Fraser of Adelaide, and from 1897 by the A&ST at Kensington. The trams ran at an average speed of convert|5|mi/h|km/h|0, usually two horses pulling each tram from a pool of four to ten.Steele C. (1986), p.5]

Horse tram network

Various companies expanded the network from its initial line to Kensington, with eleven companies operating within six years, three more having already failed before constructing tracks. [Kingsborough, L.S. (1965), p.8] The Adelaide to North Adelaide line opened in December 1878, a separate one from Port Adelaide to Albert Park in 1879, Adelaide to Mitcham and Hindmarsh in 1881, Walkerville 1882, Burnside, Prospect, Nailsworth and Enfield in 1883, and Maylands in 1892. [Horse tram line opening dates from Steel C. (1981), p.10, The Critic (1909), p.9-11, Nagel P. (1971), P.50 and Lewis H. (1985), p.139] Various streets were widened especially for the tram lines including Brougham place, North Adelaide by convert|10|ft|m|0 and Prospect road to a total width of convert|60|ft|m|0. [Nagel P. (1971), p.50] [Lamshed M. (1972), P.30]

All but one line was built in 4 foot 8½ inch (1.435 m) standard gauge with the exception from Port Adelaide to Albert Park. This line was built in 5 foot 3 inch (1.6 m) broad gauge to accommodate steam engines, also requiring some of the line to be raised on embankments to avoid swampy ground and flooding. [Kingsborough L.S. (1965), p.17] There were convert|74|mi|km|0 of tramlines with 1062 horses and 162 cars by 1901The Critic (1909), p.14] and isolated lines from Port Adelaide to Albert Park and Glenelg to Brighton, as well as a network joining many suburbs to Adelaide's CBD by 1907. The network had termini in Henley Beach, Hindmarsh, Prospect, Nailsworth, Paradise, Magill, Burnside, Glen Osmond, Mitcham, Clarence Park, Hyde Park and Walkerville. [1945 map of the 1907 Horse tramways, Published by the MTT and created by L.S. Kingsborough and C.J.M. Steele. Kingsborough L.S. (1965), p.85] To accommodate the specific needs of horses, most streets were left unsealed. The horses' urine needed an unsealed surface for absorption and their hooves a soft surface for good traction.

Electric trams

Adelaide's first experiment with electric powered trams was a demonstration run on the Adelaide and Hindmarsh Tramway company's line. A battery powered tram fitted with "Julien's Patent Electric Traction" ran in 1889 to Henley Beach. The trial was unsuccessful due to the batteries poor capacity, and the promoters' deaths in a level crossing accident shortly after precluded further experiments. [Australian Electric Transport Museum (1974), p.24] As with horse trams, commercial interests pursued government support for the introduction of electric tramways. The most influential was the "Snow scheme", promoted by Francis H. Snow largely on behalf of two London companies, British Westinghouse and Callender's Cable Construction. The scheme involved the purchase of major horse tramways, merging into an electric tramway company with twenty-one years of exclusive running rights. Legislation was passed in 1901, a referendum held in 1902, but the required funds had been spent and the scheme collapsed. Adelaide's council proposed their own scheme backed by different companies, but couldn't raise the required capital, and J.H. Packard promoted various schemes of his own devising that also never eventuated. [Radcliffe, I.C. (1974), pp.31-33 and The critic (1909), p.13]

By 1901 Adelaide's horse trams were seen by the public as a blot on the city's image. With a population of 162,000 the slow speed of the trams, and the lines subsequent low traffic capacity, made them inadequate for public transport needs. The unsealed roads the horses required became quagmires in winter and sources of dust in summer. The 10 pounds of manure each horse left behind daily, was also not well regarded. Under these various pressures the government negotiated to purchase the horse tramway companies. A 28 March 1906 newspaper notice announced that the government had purchased all of the city tramways for £280,000. Bill No.913, passed 22 December 1906, created the Municipal Tramways Trust (MTT) with the authority to build new and purchase existing tramways.The Critic (1909), p.15]

Not all tramway companies were purchased, as the Glenelg to Marino company continued operating separately until its failure in 1914. [Kingsborough L.S. (1965), pp.43-44] The government purchased the properties, plant and equipment of existing tramways but did not purchase the companies themselves. The equipment included 162 trams, 22 other vehicles and 1056 horses. By 1909 at the launch of Adelaide's electric tram services there remained 163 horse trams and 650 horses under the control of the MTT.State Transport Authority (1978)] Due to the time required to electrify the network the MTT continued to run horse trams until 1914. The cost of purchasing the tramways was funded by treasury bills and the act capped total construction costs at £12,000 per mile of track. [The Critic (1909), pp.17-18] £457,000 was let in contracts to March 1908 for construction of the tramways, trams, strengthening the Adelaide bridge over the River Torrens and associated works. [The Critic (1909), pp.19-21] The official ceremony starting track construction was in May 1908, with tracks originally laid on Jarrah sleepers.The Critic (1909), p.21]

On Monday 30 November 1908 there were two trial runs, from the MTT's depot on Hackney Road to the nearby Adelaide Botanic Garden and back, the evening trial carrying the Premier and Governor. At the official opening ceremony on 9 March 1909, Electric Tram 1 was driven by Mrs. Price, wife of Premier Thomas Price. Mrs Price opened the tramway and drove the tram from the Hackney Depot to Kensington and back, assisted by the MTT's chief engineer. [The Critic (1909), p.37]

Municipal Tramways Trust

The MTT was created in 1906 and became part of the State Transport Authority in 1975. It was created as a tax-exempt body with eight members, mostly by appointed local councils but with some government appointees. [The Critic (1909), pp.15,17-18] They established a convert|9|acre|ha|1|abbr=on tram depot site near the corner of Hackney Road and Botanic Road with a depot building, twenty-four incoming tracks and a large administration office. [The Critic (1909), p.27] William George Toop Goodman was appointed as its first engineer, later general manager and remained as general manager until his 1950 retirement. [cite web |last=McCarthy |first =G.J |title =Goodman, William George Toop (1872 - 1961) |publisher =The University of Melbourne eScholarship Research Centre |date =22 June 2005 |url =http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/biogs/P001252b.htm |accessdate = 2007-04-23]

To cater for family outings the MTT constructed gardens in the current suburb of Kensington Gardens, extending the Kensington line to attract customers. [Steele C. (1981), p.15] By 1945 the MTT was collecting fares for 95 million trips annually, representing 295 trips per head of population (350,000). [Steele C. (1981), p.37]

By 1958 the tram network was reduced to just the Glenelg line (see Decline of the network). The MTT continued to operate most of the local bus routes in the inner metropolitan area. In 1975 the services of the MTT became the Bus and Tram division of the State Transport Authority and the MTT ceased to exist.

Electric tram network

At the 1909 opening, 35 miles (56 kilometres) of track had been completed with electricity supplied by the Electric Lighting and Supply Co. [The Critic (1909), p.23] The electric tram system ran on 600 Volts DC supplied at first from two converter stations, [The Critic (1909), p.32] No.1 converter station on East terrace, Adelaide with 2,500 kW of AC to DC capacity and No.2 station at Thebarton with a capacity of 900 kW. [The Critic (1909), p.34] To cope with variable loads on the system, very large storage lead-acid batteries were installed, the initial one at East terrace comprising 293 cells and a 50 ton tank of sulphuric acid. [The Critic (1909), p.35]

The Adelaide-Glenelg line was, from 1873, a broad gauge steam railway that ran at street level into Victoria Square. [State Transport Authority (1979), p.9] Originally privately owned it was taken over by the South Australian Railways then transferred to the MTT in 1927. The line was closed to be rebuilt to standard gauge, electrified at 600 Volts DC and converted to tramway operation, reopening in late 1929.

The Port Adelaide line, which until that time had still used horse trams, began to be converted to electric operation in 1914 and opened 3 April 1917 A line from Magill to Morialta opened in 1915 for weekend tourist traffic with only a single return service on weekdays. The line ran in the valley of 4^th creek, a tributary of the River Torrens, across farmland and along unmade and ungazetted roads. [Steele C. (1986), p.43] All services on the Morialta line were replaced by buses in 1956. The last tram line built in Adelaide was the Erindale line which opened in early 1944. [Steele C. (1981), p.37] At maximum extent the lines connected Adelaide with the sea at Henley Beach, Grange and Glenelg, reached the base of the Adelaide Hills at Morialta and Mitcham and had Northern and Southern limits of Kilburn and Colonel Light Gardens. [The Municipal Tramways Trust Adelaide (1952), "Electric Transport System Map"]

Electric tram types

From 1908 to 1909, a hundred electric trams were manufactured by Duncan and Fraser of Adelaide [Steele C. (1981), p.15] at a cost of approximately £100 each.cite news |first= Jenny|last= Oldland |title= Tram 104 departs Foul Bay|url= http://kadina.yp-connect.net/~ypct/news/07/01/16/5.html|work= Yorke Peninsula Country Times|date= 2007-01-16|accessdate= 2007-02-06] Up to its last tram purchase in 1953, the MTT commissioned over three hundred electric trams, some of which have been kept in service for over seventy-five years. TransAdelaide, the publicly owned company now operating Adelaide trams, began introducing a new class of trams in 2006.

*The original 103 was damaged during shipping from Germany. In its damaged form, it is now held for parts at TransAdelaide's Glengowrie depot. The replacement 103 was the final tram that was delivered, and is now in service. Type 100 Note: The Type 100 trams are occasionally referred to a S type trams due to their resemblance to VGF's S class trams in use in Frankfurt Am Main or NGT8 trams which is the designation used in Dortmund; Type A

Type A trams were the most common on the newly opened lines with seventy of the initial hundred trams made in this single truck combination style. They incorporated a closed central saloon and open crossbenches on the same tram. Capable of up to convert|22|mi/h|km/h|0, they had a seating capacity of twenty in the saloons with an additional twenty in the open benches. The bodies were made by Duncan and Fraser, who had built horse tram cars for the AS&T as well as bodies of electric trams for Melbourne service.The Critic (1909), pP.29-30] On 9 March 1909 the first type A was the lead car in the procession at the tramway systems official opening. Most were removed from the lines and stored in the 1930s, returning to service in 1941 due to petrol rationing increasing passenger numbers. Fifty-eight were permanently joined in "Bib and Bub" (named after comic characters by May Gibbs) pairs to conserve manpower and used this way until 1950. Although the bib and bub pairs still required a conductor per tram to collect fares, they needed only one driver per pair resulting in a twenty-five percent reduction in labour. [Steele C. (1981), p.36] All type As were withdrawn from service in 1952 with many being sold for use as shacks, although trams 10, 69 and 92 had been sold in 1936 to the State Electricity Commission of Victoria.Municipal tramways trust (1974), p.2]

; Type B

Thirty of the initial trams became known as Toast rack trams due to their open structure. They were open trams with passengers seated on cross-benches, and no weather protection on the cars' sides. Duncan and Fraser built them with summer excursions in mind but they had limited utility due to the lack of weather proofing. Twenty of the cars were converted to combination trams in 1917 and redesignated as types A1 and A2. All type B, A1 or A2 cars, except for tram 42, were withdrawn from service in 1936 and scrapped in 1946.

; Type E

Due to public antipathy to imported trams, type E trams were built by J.G. Brill & Co in Philadelphia, United States, then imported in parts and assembled by Pengelley & Co of Adelaide from 1910 to 1912. [Radcliffe, I.C. (1974), p.45] They were partially open trams with passengers sitting on cross bench seats and a closed saloon at one end. Their main use was on the Glen Osmond and St Peters routes, also taking picnic parties to Burnside and Magill. Type E trams were rebuilt into type E1 in 1936.

; Type E1

When converted from Type E trams, the crossbenches were removed and the saloon extended the entire car length. As before conversion, these trams were used mainly on the Glen Osmond and St Peters routes. Tram 101 was temporarily renumbered 100, painted in ivory and gold, and used in the 1936 South Australian centenary celebrations.Municipal tramways trust (1974), p.4]

; Type D

Similar to Type E with crossbenches and a saloon, type D trams also had sliding doors at the end of the benches giving weather protection. Four similar cars were built in 1912 for the Prahan & Malvern Tramways Trust, Melbourne, on sold to the Hawthorn Tramways Trust then purchased by the MTT in 1925 becoming trams 191-194. [Municipal tramways trust (1974), p.3] After injuries to conductors collecting fares while standing on the footboards, a centre isle was cut through the centre bulkhead and four of the six crossbench seats of the trams in 1934. Trams 192-194 had been similarly modified in Melbourne prior to their purchase by the MTT.

; Type C

A planned purchase of large trams was delayed by World War I. Type C trams were small combination cars, built in 1918–1919 as an interim measure. Physically very similar to Type A trams, they were fitted with more powerful motors. Due to the their consequent higher speeds they became known as Desert Gold trams, after a New Zealand racehorse that had won races in Australia at the same time. This speed became useful in competition against unlicensed buses in the 1920s, and they were used in peak service until 1952 with the last use for the royal visit of 1954.

; Types F and F1

Type F and F1 trams, built from 1921 to 1929 by Pengelley & Co, became commonly known as dropcentre trams, as the centre of the tram was lowered for easy boarding and alighting. They had the first tram airbrakes in Adelaide and were designed so that six streams of passengers could board or alight at the same time, with a large capacity and reportedly comfortable ride. F series trams were the most common trams used in Adelaide from their introduction to the closure of the main tram network.

; Type G

Designed by Charles Birney and imported complete from J.G. Brill & Co these trams seated 32 passengers. They entered service as one man cars on the Port Adelaide line in 1925, were sold for use in Geelong in 1935 then transferred to Bendigo in 1947.Metropolitan Transport Trust (1974), p.5]

; Type H

Known as Glenelg trams, Type H are a long rigid body tram that is end loading with a full length saloon, power operated doors and reversible leather seats. Built by Pengelley and Co in 1929 specifically for the Glenelg line, they commenced operations on 14 December 1929. They also saw service on the Henley North, Kensington Gardens and Cheltenham routes. As of 2007 there are five restored trams still in service for weekend, public holiday and charter trips. With the purchase of replacement trams, sixteen H class trams were disposed of with some sold, for a total of $65,000, and the remainder donated. They were destined for uses as varied as a restaurant, an attraction at a bed and breakfast boarding house and a tourism display at Glenelg, Adelaide. [cite news |work=The Advertiser |title=At last, our new Bay trams |date=16 November 2005 |publisher=News Corporation |last=King |first=Melissa |page=30]

; Type H1 A prototype tram was built in 1952 based on a 1939 plan to build forty new trams. Tram 381 was just completed by JA Lawton & Sons of Adelaide when the reconstitution of the MTT caused cancellation of the remaining thirty-nine cars. It was a modern design with all steel construction and power operated doors, commencing service on the Henley North-Kensington Gardens in 1953 and withdrawn in 1957.

; Flexity Classic / Type 100 / Type I

Beginning in January 2006, convert|30|m|ft|0 long, articulated, low-floor Flexity Classic Light Rail vehicles, built by Bombardier in Germany, began operation. Eleven trams were ordered at a total cost of $58 million to replace most of the seventy-seven year old H class on the Glenelg line. [cite news |work=The Advertiser |title=EXCLUSIVE Why it's back to the workshop; Our flawed trams |date=27 January 2006 |publisher=News Corporation |first=Paul |last=STARICK |page=3] Bombardier won the supply tender against one other bidder, receiving an initial order for nine trams in September 2004. [cite news |work=The Advertiser |title=Farewell red rattlers, hello air-con and TV |last=King |first=Melissa |date=17 September 2004 |publisher=News Corporation |page=11] Station platforms were lowered to match the new trams lower floors, and some of the track and sleepers replaced to provide a smoother ride. There have been problems with the tram's airconditioning systems, during Adelaide's very hot summer weather, but these were rectified with engineering changes to the trams. [cite news |work=The Advertiser |title=Modifications to beat heat |date=23 January 2007 |publisher=News Corporation |page=9]

Classification of the trams has been controversial. The trams are generally referred to as Flexities or Flexity type by TransAdelaide, although are also referred to as type 100 (from their fleet numbers) or the I type following on from the MTT classification system. Other classifications by using designations in use on other systems with Flexity Classic trams, including S Class (VGF, Frankfurt), M06 (Norrköping) and NGT8 (Dortmund) have also been used.

By 2008 the state government was considering lengthening the trams, instead of purchasing more, to accommodate increasing passenger numbers. [cite news | url=http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23031415-5006301,00.html | title=Trams may be s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d to beat overcrowding| work=The Advertiser | date=2008-01-10 | publisher=News Corporation | first=LAUREN | last= NOVAK] In September 2008, an order was placed with Bombardier for an additional 4 Flexity classic trams to be used on the soon to be built City West - Adelaide Entertainment Centre section. These will be numbered 112 - 115.

Trolleybuses

During the Great Depression the MTT needed to expand services but finances prevented laying new tracks. A decision was made to trial trolleybuses, and a converted petrol bus began running experimentally on the Payneham and Paradise lines. Apart from the trial bus, the MTT eventually operated four models of trolleybuses.Municipal tramways trust (1974), p.8] By 1937 there was a fleet of double-decker trolleybuses running to Tusmore with extensions to Port Adelaide, Semaphore and Largs Bay in 1938. Trolley buses continued running until July 1963 when the last run was converted to motorbuses.

; Green GoddessPetrol bus 216 was converted to electric operation and ran from May 1932 to August 1934. It was the first trolleybus in Australia and become known as "The Green Goddess" by its distinctive livery. It seated twenty-three with room for twenty standing passengers.

; A.E.C. double deckerImported English trolleybus chassis were completed with bodywork by "Lawtons" of Adelaide in 1937, then numbered as buses 401 to 430. The A.E.C. trolleybuses seated fifty-seven with a crush load of eighty-four and were withdrawn in mid 1957, with a brief return to service in August 1958.

; Leyland double deckerWith chassis brought in from England prior to World War II, the MTT constructed buses 431 to 435. When put into service in 1942 the Leyland buses were the largest in the MTT fleet and remained so until withdrawn in 1958.

; Leyland canton trolleybusAs part of the World War II supply effort, English bus chassis, with a final intended destination of the Guangdong province in China, were brought to Adelaide where they remained. The MTT built bodies for them from 1942 to 1944, as buses 501 to 530, with a seating capacity of thirty and a crush load of sixty. The became popularly known as "cantons" or "wombats" and remained in service until 1963.

; Sunbeam trolleybusBuses 501 to 530 were built by "Lawtons" of Adelaide on a Sunbeam chassis in late 1951. They seated forty passengers, had a crush load of seventy-seven and were used in services until mid 1963.

Decline of the network

From 1915 onwards the MTT had to compete against unregulated private buses, often preceding the trams on the same route to steal fares, which the MTT countered by opening their own motor bus routes from 1925. [Steele C. (1981), p.23] The South Australian government began regulating buses within the state in 1927, although some private operators used a provision in the Australian constitution to their advantage. By notionally marking each ticket as a fare from the pickup point to Murrayville, Victoria (but allowing passengers to board or alight sooner) companies avoided having to abide by the regulation for some time. [Steele C. (1981), p.32] Up until the end of World War I, most Adelaideans were dependent on public transport for daily journeys. The introduction of private automobiles decreased passenger numbers until petrol rationing during World War II lead to a resurgence in patronage; patronage remained higher than before the war, until rationing was discontinued in 1951. [ Steele C. (1986), pp.23,43]

From the start of the great depression until the closure of the network only one lot of trams was purchased by the MTT. Due to shortages there was minimal maintenance of the network during World War II and post-war shortages prevented the purchase of new trams. [Steele C. (1981), p.42] In 1951–1952 the MTT lost £313,320 and made the decision to convert the Erindale, Burnside and Linden park lines to electric trolleybuses. The last trams on these lines ran on 24 May 1952 with the lines lifted from 18 April 1953. A 1953 royal commission was held to inquire into the financial affairs of the MTT resulting in a completely reconstituted board.Steele C. (1981), p.43] Late the same year, with driver safety concerns about the conflict with increasing traffic on the road, the Glen Osmond line was temporarily converted to motor buses. The line was never converted back to trams and much comment was made about the continuing maintenance of unused overhead lines. [Steele C. (1981), P.45]

Trolley buses gradually made way for motor buses until the last electric tram or bus service ran on 12 July 1963 leaving only the Glenelg tramline as a remnant of a once extensive light rail network. [Steele C. (1981), P.47] Except for the Glenelg H class, the trams were sold off or scrapped, variously ending up being used as shacks, playrooms and preserved by museums.

Remaining line

The Glenelg line is a convert|11.9|km|mi|1|sing=on route from the centre of Adelaide, South Australia to the beachside suburb of Glenelg. It is Adelaide's only remaining tramway, running at approximately twenty minute intervals, and is part of the integrated Adelaide Metro public transport network. [cite web|url=http://www.transadelaide.com.au/transadelaide_info/trams.htm |title=Trams |accessdate=2007-01-11 |publisher=TransAdelaide ] Until January 2006, H class cars provided all services on the Glenelg line. Eleven, thirty metre long articulated low-floor Flexity Classic Light Rail vehicles, built by Bombardier in Germany, have since replaced the H-class trams in regular day-to-day service, although five refurbished H-class trams have been retained and operate a restricted 'heritage service' timetable on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays. They have been fitted with safety measures similar to those of the new trams, including vigilance control and electro-magnetic track brakes.

A convert|1.2|km|mi|2|sing=on extension from Victoria Square, along King William St and North Tce opened to the public on 14 October 2007. Further extensions remain the subject of public debate. Tourism minister, Jane Lomax-Smith has, in 2007, expressed support for the line to be extended to North Adelaide and Prospect although the Transport minister has stated that this is not a practical option, [cite news |first= Craig |last=Bildstien |title=Minister 'mortified' by ruling on trams |url=http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,21101060-910,00.html |work=Adelaide Now|publisher=News Limited |date=23 January 2007 |accessdate=2007-02-11] with his preferred option the creation of a fare free city loop.cite news|work=The Advertiser|publisher=News Limited|date=19 February 2007 |title=Free tram network 'to drive city's future" |pages=2]

Adelaide trams in museums

See also

* Glenelg Tram
* Transport in Adelaide
* State Transport Authority (South Australia)
* Municipal Tramways Trust
* Henwood v Municipal Tramways Trust
* Railways in Adelaide
* Trams in Australia

Notes

References

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External links

* [http://www.railpage.org.au/tram/adelhist.html Adelaide's Tram History]
* [http://www.railpage.org.au/aetmsa/ St Kilda Tramway Museum]
* [http://www.tmsv.org.au/gallery/fleet/adel373.htm TMSV's acquired H class]
* [http://www.bendigotramways.com/ Bendigo Tramway Museum]
* [http://www.sydneytramwaymuseum.com.au/adelaide.html Sydney Tramway Museum's acquired H class]
* [http://www.billdcentral.com/ Glenelg line rebuild and commissioning of the Flexity type trams]

Further reading

* "The Adelaide and Hindmarsh-Henley Beach Tramway Company" Eardley, G.H. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, June, 1961

* "The Adelaide, Unley and Mitcham Tramway Company" Eardley, Gifford Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, May, 1974