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Route 3
B class tram onSwanston Street, February 2023
Overview
System	Melbourne
Operator	Yarra Trams
Depot	Glenhuntly
Vehicle	Z class B class
Began service	1 November 1970
Route
Start	Melbourne University
Via	Swanston Street St Kilda Road Brighton Road Balaclava Caulfield
End	East Malvern
Length	14.9 kilometres
Service
Operates	Weekdays
Timetable	timetable[dead link]
Map	Route 3/3a map[dead link]
Route map {{{map}}} ← Route 1  {{{system_nav}}}  Route 5 →

Route 3a
B class tram on route 3a at the intersection ofFlinders Lane andMarket Street, November 2023
Overview
System	Melbourne
Operator	Yarra Trams
Depot	Glenhuntly
Vehicle	Z class B class
Began service	31 January 2009
Ended service	29 October 2023
Route
Start	Melbourne University
Via	Swanston Street St Kilda Road St Kilda Balaclava Caulfield
End	East Malvern
Length	16.3 kilometres
Service
Operates	Weekends
Timetable	timetable[dead link]
Map	Route 3/3a map[dead link]
Route map {{{map}}} ← Route 1  {{{system_nav}}}  Route 5 →

Melbourne tram route 3 is atram route on theMelbourne tramway network serving the city ofMelbourne inVictoria, Australia. Operated byYarra Trams, the route is colouredlight blue and extends fromMelbourne University toEast Malvern over 14.9-kilometre (9.3 mi) of double track viaSwanston Street,St Kilda Road andCaulfield. It is serviced out ofGlenhuntly depot utilisingZ andB class trams. Until October 2023, route 3 operated as 3a on weekends, diverting viaSt Kilda Beach.

The origins of route 3 lie in separate tram lines. The section of track between Queensberry Street (Stop 4) andBrighton Road (Stop 35) is the oldest section of this route, dating back to the Brighton Road cable tram which opened on 11 October 1888 by theMelbourne Tramway & Omnibus Company. This cable tram line was electrified in stages by theMelbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board. The section betweenDomain Interchange (Stop 20) andSt Kilda Junction (Stop 30) was electrified on 27 December 1925. The section between Queensberry Street and City Road (near Stop 14) was electrified on the same day. The line between City Road and Domain Interchange was electrified on 24 January 1926, and the line between St Kilda Junction and Carlisle Street (Stop 35) was finally electrified on 29 August 1926.

The section of route 3 between Brighton Road (Stop 35) andEast Malvern (Darling Road) was constructed by thePrahran & Malvern Tramways Trust (PMTT). Initially, a line was opened fromSt Kilda Beach to Hawthorn Road along Carlisle Street/Balaclava Road on 12 April 1913. This line was extended east by the PMTT from Hawthorn Road to Darling Road,East Malvern on 13 November 1913.^[1] Meanwhile, theMelbourne, Brunswick & Coburg Tramways Trust (MBCTT) constructed the section of Route 3 north of Queensberry Street towards Melbourne University. This section opened on 31 October 1916.

On 12 November 1961, trams operating on Route 3 (Route 4D before 1970) on Sunday were replaced by bus route 377 to save operating costs. Sunday trams were reinstated on 8 August 1993 following the abolition of conductors.^[2]

Route 3 was allocated to the line between the City (Swanston Street) toEast Malvern (Darling Road) on 1 November 1970 following a major route number revision for trams running on Swanston Street.^[3] Prior to this, the line was run by Route 4D, an allocation that dates back to 1930. Trams traditionally terminated at theVictoria Street terminus, but following an accident in 1991, trams instead terminated at the Queensberry Street crossover. Due to congestion during peak hours at the crossover, some trams continued north to the Melbourne University. Finally on 17 January 1996, a permanent shunt was built atMelbourne University. From then on, route 3 trams were altered run full-time to Melbourne University.^[4]

During the2006 Commonwealth Games, the route was renumbered 53 and extended toWest Coburg during peak hour and theDudley Street sidings during off peak, fromDomain Interchange, alongroute 55 to alleviate congestion alongSt Kilda Road.^[5]

On 31 January 2009, route 3 was altered on the weekends to form route 3a, diverting from the regular route atSt Kilda Junction and travelling viaFitzroy Street, The Esplanade and Carlisle Street to rejoin the regular route at the corner ofSt Kilda Road and Carlisle Street. This was to alleviate overcrowding onroute 16.^[6][7] Route 3a ceased operations after 29 October 2023, and all services operate as route 3 throughout the week.^[8]

Interactive map of Melbourne tram route 3.

Interactive map of Melbourne tram route 3a.

Route 3 operates fromMelbourne University travelling south through theCBD onSwanston Street viaMelbourne Central andFlinders Street stations. After crossing theYarra River it continues south alongSt Kilda Road turning east into Carlisle Street,Balaclava then travelling throughSt Kilda East, where Carlisle Street becomes Balaclava Road, continuing east travelling throughCaulfield North. After passingCaulfield station, it crossesDandenong Road, and continues east along Waverley Road,East Malvern, terminating at Darling Road.

Between 31 January 2009 and 29 October 2023, on weekends, route 3 ran as route 3a, diverting from the regular route atSt Kilda Junction and travelling viaSt Kilda onFitzroy Street, The Esplanade and Carlisle Street, passingSt Kilda Beach andLuna Park before rejoining the regular route at the corner ofSt Kilda Road and Carlisle Street.^[6][7]

Short-working or diverted trips of route 3 continue to run as route 3a (as with other tram route numbers). However, it is not a dedicated route in its own right.

Route 3 (and formerly 3a) is operated out ofGlenhuntly depot withZ andB class trams.^[9][10][11]

v t e Melbourne Tram Route 3
Melbourne University -East Malvern viaCity,Balaclava &Caulfield North Free tram zone covers stops 8 to 13,fare zone 1 applies from stop 1 to 7, 14 to 64
Suburb Street Stop No. Melbourne University Connections continues as Tram1 &6 towardsEast Coburg &Moreland Carlton Swanston Street 1 Melbourne University 1,5,6,16 64,67,72 ; 401, 402 403, 546 3 Lincoln Square 4 Queensberry Street Victoria Street No Service Melbourne CBD Swanston Street 7 RMIT University La Trobe Street Tram30,City Circle Exhibition Street  Harbour Esplanade Melbourne Central station●●●●●●●●●●●●●● 8 Melbourne Central station 30,City Circle 10 Bourke Street Mall 86,96; Lonsdale Street buses Bourke Street Tram86,96 Melbourne Museum  Southern Cross station Collins Street Tram11,12,48,109 St Vincent's Plaza  Southern Cross station 11 Collins Street 11,12,48,109 Flinders Street Tram70,75,City Circle Russell Street  Docklands Flinders Street station●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● 13 Flinders Street station 70,75,City Circle Southbank St Kilda Road 14 Arts Precinct 1; 216, 219 220 Southbank Boulevard Tram1    South Melbourne Beach 17 Grant Street - Police Memorial 19 Shrine of Remembrance Park Street Tram58    West Coburg Melbourne St Kilda Road 20 Anzac Station 58 Domain Road No Service (Temporary Closure) 22 Toorak Road 58 Toorak Road Tram58 Toorak   23 Arthur Street 24 Leopold Street 25 Commercial Road 72; 216, 219, 220 Commercial Road Tram72 Camberwell   26 Moubray Street 27 High Street High Street Tram6 Glen Iris   29 Union Street St Kilda St Kilda Road 30 St Kilda Junction 5,16,64 Dandenong Road Tram5,64 Malvern/Brighton East   Fitzroy Street Tram16    St Kilda 31 Barkly Street 32 Alma Road 33 Argyle Street 34 Inkerman Street 35 Carlisle Street Brighton Road Tram67    Carnegie Brighton Road 67 Balaclava Carlisle Street 36 St Kilda Town Hall 37 Chapel Street 78 Chapel Street Tram78 North Richmond  Balaclava 38 Balaclava station Balaclava station● 39 Orange Grove   Balaclava Road 40 Hotham Street 216, 219 Caulfield North Balaclava Road 41 Empress Road 42 Sidwell Avenue 43 Orrong Road 220 44 Ontario Street 45 Kent Grove 46 Kooyong Road 605 47 Elmhurst Road 51 Hawthorn Road 16,64 Hawthorn Road Tram16,64 Kew  Brighton East 52 Caulfield Park Bowling Club 53 Caulfield Park 54 Kambrook Road 55 Normanby Road   Normanby Road 56 Caulfield Racecourse 624   Sir John Monash Drive 57 Caulfield station Caulfield station●●●●●   Derby Road 58 Dandenong Road Malvern East Dandenong Road 59 Waverley Road   Waverley Road 60 Burke Road 624 61 Tennyson Street 62 The Avenue 63 Oak Grove 64 Darling Road 624 Suburb Street Stop No. East Malvern Connections

Media related toMelbourne tram route 3 at Wikimedia Commons

• Tram routes in Melbourne
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• Transport in the City of Port Phillip
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